Union Announces ‘Boldest Agenda’ Yet to Strengthen Federal Employee Rights, Pay and Benefits

American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley on Sunday announced an expansive agenda to undo the Trump administration’s workforce policies and to improve the rights, pay and benefits of workers throughout the federal government.

At the union’s annual legislative conference, held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelley congratulated members for persevering through an administration that seemed to union officials focused on the eradication of collective bargaining at federal agencies. He then quickly pivoted to a laundry list of policy proposals to strengthen worker rights.

“Though we may be tempted to breathe a sigh of relief, pat ourselves on the back and let our guards down for a moment, we don’t have that luxury,” he said. “We must summon what Dr. [Martin Luther] King Jr. called the ‘fierce urgency of now’ . . . because windows of opportunity rarely stay open for long. We must undo all of the damage that was done over the last four years, and we must gain new grounds in empowering our members, expanding their rights and improving their workplace. We must revitalize our organizing, expand our union and take our power to new levels. We have but two years to enact the boldest agenda AFGE has proposed in all my time with our great union.”