AFGE National Vice President of Women and Fair Practices, Augusta Thomas, and Director of OPM, John Berry celebrate the 50th Anniversay of collective bargaining for federal government employees.
January 17th marked the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s signing of Executive Order 10988, which began collective bargaining in the federal government. Not only did this Executive Order permit workers to join and engage in union activity but it also set the stage for expanding these rights under Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter. It demonstrated a true bipartisan show of support from past presidents for the right of federal workers to have a voice on the job, and an ability to positively impact their livelihoods.
At a time when government workers are currently under partisan attack, recognizing the significance of Executive Order 10988 is especially important to remind everyone of the long journey government workers have taken, and to re-energize workers for the battles ahead.
The AFL-CIO commemorated this historic occasion on Tuesday, January 17th at its headquarters. National Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis was one of the honorable guests as well as AFGE National Vice President, Augusta Thomas; AFL-CIO National Secretary- Treasurer, Liz Shuler; and Director of the Office of Personnel Management, John Berry .
Click here to view Executive Order 10988.
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