A union can engage in activity an individual union official cannot, as a federal employee. Any federal employee with involvement in political activity will want to do some research. The suggestion is: do it before moving out and pursuing a political passion.
SEIU, NEA and AFSCME have members at the local, county, state, and/or federal levels. Political Action is the organized effort of working people. It is an amplification of membership’s voices. That part of the process is positive because employers, especially governments, can be domineering.
In the public sector this can also become pernicious. We all have a right to be heard by our elected officials. Union members have a right to bargain to win better contracts. There are limits.
This becomes problematic when the tax payer is forgotten. It is problematic when the dues payer representation is improper. There are future perils when the benefits bargained for cannot be financially supported by the employer. It’s killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
The cost to strike
In this case we have government unions threatening to strike for BLM (Marxist) ideology and social justice. If the membership feel strongly this is justified I hope they are ready to lose their source of income. Strikes cost families money.
When you are off work does your union have a strike fund that will make good your lost income? How many days, weeks, and months can you afford to be off? Will you ever recover from the impact of that lost income? Will you have a job to come back to?
Do the people who use your employer’s services have another way to meet that need? Do they support your action? Remember walkouts can lead to lockouts. Actions do cause reactions. Remember, Reagan had an answer for PATCO.
Political action of this sort seems ill advised. Certainly there are some considerations one might consider before getting all haired up and going off half cocked. A union can engage in activity an individual union official cannot where government is concerned. Happy Labor Day.