Staffers at the White House budget office filed a petition Monday to join a labor union, seeking to gain more input over their working conditions.
About half of the career work force at the Office of Management and Budget signed the petition, said Peter Winch, deputy director of field services and education for the American Federation of Government Workers.
Winch said the move is not a signal that workers are unhappy at the agency, but a sign that they would like more of a voice in how the office is organized and more appreciation for the work they do.
“A lot of people are expected to come in on weekends and work late,” Winch said. “They don’t mind that culture, because they feel they are engaged in very important work, but they would like more recognition for the fact that they do make those sacrifices.”
The OMB workers would be joining the American Federal of Government Employees, or AGFE, the largest union of federal workers. And it just so happens that AGFE is affiliated with Richard Trumka’s AFL-CIO.
The Obama presidency is the most valuable thing Big Labor has ever bought.
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