AFGE Local 2754

Leaders of the Congressional appropriations committees say they've agreed to extend the current continuing resolution for another month while they continue to hammer out full-year spending bills

Congress and the administration have made it clear that they'll do anything to bust our union. Next week, they're trying to pass the ironically named MERIT Act, short for Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation Act. Unfortunately, the bill won't modernize, reform, improve, or transform our jobs. It would make it easier than ever for managers to fire you. We need you to take 5 minutes and call 866-356-0201 to tell your Member of Congress that this is unfair a...nd unproductive, and to oppose the MERIT Act. Under the MERIT Act: You would no longer be able to appeal adverse actions and unfair reductions in force actions through the grievance procedures. The only venue for you to appeal these unfair actions would be the severely under-resourced Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which reviews similar cases for the entire federal workforce of 2 million employees. The agency’s decision becomes final if the MSPB does not issue a decision within 30 days. You will not have enough time to mount a credible defense if you are accused of performance or disciplinary issues, because the bill drastically shortens the response time. You can be fired at any point in your first two years on the job, for any reason. You may be forced to repay a bonus or award if the agency head claims he or she was unaware of a conduct or performance issues when you received the payment. We all know that we can't do our best work constantly looking over our shoulder. The MERIT Act won't make government more efficient - it will slow us down even more. Call your lawmakers at 866-356-0201 to stop the MERIT Act NOW. We must do everything we can to stop this bill. Call your lawmakers and make sure your Local members do the same. In solidarity, AFGE

AFGE Week of Action: Help us fight for our pay, benefits, and retirement. Call your lawmaker at 844-669-5146 & tell them to stand up for government workers.