TOPICS
TOPICS
Longtime AFGE member elected to lead union
Delegates of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, elected a new president Wednesday night, ousting two-term president Bobby Harnage.
John Gage, an AFGE member since 1977, will lead the union for the next three years. Gage has served since 1981 as president of AFGE Local 1923, which represents 8,500 employees at Social Security Administration headquarters, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Health and Human Services Department, several regional Veterans Affairs Department offices and two Navy bases.
"AFGE has the responsibility to let the American public know what is really going on with government," said Gage, who officially took the helm of the union Thursday morning. "The Social Security Administration is being starved of resources, VA hospitals are being threatened with closures, billions of taxpayer dollars are being dumped into Defense contractors' pockets and public services are being directly converted to for-profit corporations."
According to Gage, the Bush administration's competitive sourcing efforts are gutting the government.
"It's all about political payoffs for well-connected campaign contributors. Further, Bush's efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights have nothing to do with 'flexibility' and everything to do with outright de-unionization," he said. "Many of our places are major employers in small towns and we don't think the communities are going to like the loss of these jobs, and we don't think the public is going to like the loss of these programs."
Gage said he intends to publicize the administration's privatization efforts during his tenure as president.
"We're going to try to get out there and really mobilize our bargaining units and our communities," said Gage. "We will make it clear to the American people that the Bush administration's efforts to privatize half of our government's workforce have nothing to do with saving money or improving services."
The Bush administration has pledged to make public-private competition a routine part of how government does business, touting it as a means to transform federal agencies and save taxpayer dollars.
Harnage took over as president of the union in October 1997 after longtime AFGE President John Sturdivant died of leukemia.
COMMENTS
- I would suggest to Mr. Gage that his first course of action should be to research the possibility of filing a class action law suit against the outsourcing protagonists, including OMB political appointees. The zeal and creativity displayed, throughout the A-76 process, is an attack meant to gut the Civil Service, thus allowing rewards to go to political cronies. The process as it is being pursued is clearly in violation of Title 5 protections, although formidably disguised. Corruption and cronyism are already back in government vogue (witness the many non-competed Halliburton contracts). If Government employees have to compete for their jobs, why is that Halliburton Corporation doesn't? Once the Title 5 Civil Service protections are eliminated, we are at the mercy of the political party in charge. GovExec.com reader Posted August 26, 2003 11:32 AM
- I agree! The "AFGE has the responsibility to let the American public know what is really going on with government." I am glad he has publicly made the statement. Now he must be prepared to tell the American people the truth about federal agencies, federal facilities, OPM hiring and firing practices, and the degree of incompetence existing within many government organizations. Instead of wasting energy and resources fighting competitive sourcing, AFGE should recognize the potential value in competition. Competition allows for innovation, creativity, better products and services, and lower cost. GovExec.com reader Posted August 25, 2003 12:10 PM
- AFGE President John Gage can take an immediate step by having his staff gather A-76 contract information (tracking from A-76 study to award to modifications to closeout). Then, publicize the info for all to see. Contracting based on cost plus is incredibly expensive. Federal employees serve the public interest. Contractors serve their own interests. OMB's Angela Styles testifying before Congress stated that we should not be paying contractors cost plus for cutting grass. Angela, you might want to retract that statement. Contractors are not more efficient than honest, hard-working federal employees and never will be in the long run. Is it wise to spend taxpayer funds like this when we already have a huge deficit? GovExec.com reader Posted August 22, 2003 11:17 AM
