IMPORTANT: This information should not be downloaded using government equipment, read during duty time or sent to others using government equipment, because it suggests action to be taken in support or against legislation. Do not use your government email address or government phone in contacting your lawmakers. Do not forward this email to government or home email addresses as it contains AFGE member information specific to you.

AFGE Family,

I am writing you today to make sure you saw the slew of good news coming out of the Biden administration. After four long years, it is truly a new day of hope for federal and D.C. government workers – and President Biden has made clear through his actions that making sure you are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect is one of his top priorities.

In the first few days of his administration, President Biden has already:

  • Rescinded the May 2018 executive orders that restricted your rights to negotiate with your agency, the amount of time that can be spent addressing your issues with management, and your rights when rogue managers try to discipline you unfairly.
  • Appointed a new chair of the Federal Labor Relations Authority who is a long-time labor attorney and former legislative counsel to the AFL-CIO.
  • Issued a memo calling for a review of all pending rules and regulations to stop any last minute union-busting rules currently happening in the federal government.
  • Issued an executive order protecting the health and safety of federal workers by mandating masks on federal property and certain modes of public transportation (e.g. in airports) and making the vaccination of the entire federal workforce a high priority.
  • Rescinded the ‘Schedule F’ executive order that our union characterized as the most profound undermining of the civil service in our lifetimes.
  • Named a new chair and vice chair of the EEOC, replacing the former chair who recently pushed through a contentious union-busting rule on a party-line vote.
  • Issued an executive order calling on OSHA to review current COVID-19 safety standards and to revise them according to the science, including evaluating the need for temporary emergency standards union members have been calling for over the last year.
  • Reversed course on Trump's ban on diversity and inclusion training, reopening the doorway for us to learn from one another’s perspectives, treat each other with dignity and respect, and to truly unite.

All this happened in just the first few days of the Biden administration. For months, I’ve been saying we need to keep the pressure on – and we did. Now, momentum is finally on our side. We are racking up victories that are the direct result of the hard work our members have done and the determination you have shown to stand up for your union and for your government.

There’s plenty more work to be done to rebuild both our agencies and our union. We’ve got to get to work building our collective power to make sure we secure our rights in a way they can never be threatened again. In the coming weeks, I’ll be hosting a series of town halls to speak with you about those issues.

In the meantime, I hope you will join me in a little celebration and gratitude by clicking this link to tweet a note of thanks to President Biden for everything he’s already done to deliver for AFGE members.

Better days are ahead, AFGE. Momentum is on our side.

In Solidarity,

Dr. Everett Kelley
AFGE National President

For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on:
Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from AFGE Main E-activist Group, please click here.