EEOC Final Vote Update

Two weeks before a new administration Trump Commissioners at EEOC gathered to rush through the union-busting rule that deprives federal employees of their union representative in EEO matters. Trump’s EEOC Commissioners voted as a bloc to endorse the outrageous rule that singles out union reps as the one category of federal employee prohibited from accessing EEO official time in order to represent their co-workers when they experience discrimination, harassment, or other violations of EEO law. The Final Rule was approved by EEOC commissioners on a party line vote of 3-2. Here is AFGE’s press release we put out before the meeting explaining this shameful rush to pass a rule contrary to EEOC’s civil rights mission.

Thank you to you all for fighting hard and never giving up. Your advocacy resulted last week in 1,300 emails being sent to EEOC, which was mentioned in the meeting. In addition, 11,000 comments from union members, congress and civil rights groups were submitted to the Federal Register. This type of response to EEOC action was unprecedented and due to AFGE’s hard work! We have tremendous allies who spoke up and fought hard for us in EEOC's Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels. As Commissioner Burrows said in voting NO on this mean-spirited rule, “this proposal is on the wrong side of history."

AFGE will fight to get our rights back and bend the moral arc back to justice. This rule is not effective immediately. AFGE is already working on a legal strategy and we will be in touch about future actions and guidance for ongoing and future representation of EEO complainants.