Legislation would ban “official time” practice for federal employee unions

WASHINGTON – Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the No Union Time on the Taxpayer’s Dime Act, legislation that would prohibit the misuse of taxpayer dollars for union-related activities by federal employees during work hours. The legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA).

“President Trump is taking strong steps to rein in overpowered public sector unions, which even Democrat leaders like FDR thought shouldn’t exist in the first place,” said Sen. Lee. “American taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund union organizing, and federal employees should be working full time for the American people when they’re on the clock.”

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for federal employees to conduct union business instead of fulfilling their official duties,” Rep. Cline said. “Ending ‘official time’ is a commonsense step to ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and to increase accountability across the federal workforce. Public funds should serve the American people, not private union interests.”

Since the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act in 1978, the practice known as “official time” has allowed federal employees to use work hours for union-related activities and to handle cases before the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). This means federal employees can engage in union work, represent bargaining unit employees and advance union causes while being paid by the taxpayer.

The cost of this practice to the American taxpayer is significant. According to a 2016 report by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), federal employees spent 3.6 million hours on union-related business at a cost of $177.2 million. Under the Trump Administration, this number dropped to 2.6 million hours, costing $134.9 million. However, due to the lack of unified reporting requirements, the last available data is from 2019, creating a transparency gap in the current use of official time.

The legislation is endorsed by Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity, and the National Right to Work Committee.

No Union Time on Taxpayer’s Dime Act: One-pager | Bill text 

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