Bill would halt taxpayer-funded union activism

Matt Patterson, a labor policy analyst with the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) in Washington D.C., told Watchdog.org that the union racket attached to “official time” deserves greater attention in the news media.

“Most people expect that when they show up for work, they’re on their employer’s time. But many public employees, who are also union members, are allowed to do work for their union — including sometimes political activity — while on the taxpayer’s dime,” he said. “It’s an outrageous and unfair practice that amounts to a giant public subsidy for organized labor.”

Gingrey’s bill would prohibit the federal government from paying employees while they are conducting union business. Patterson, the CEI analyst, calculates that this change could save taxpayers about $1.3 billion over 10 years.