Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025

Floor Speech

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Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this unnecessary amendment that seeks to restrict the rights and interests of Federal employees by calling into question the role of official time.

Forty years ago, Congress established official time to ensure that all employees entitled to union representation receive it regardless of whether or not they choose to join the union. Official time ensures Federal employees have a voice at the worksite to resolve disputes, address issues of discrimination or retaliation, and propose improvements to the workplace.

The Federal Government covers the cost of official time activities because under Federal law, unions must provide fair representation to all employees at the worksite, not just those who pay dues, but also those who benefit from their unions bargaining for better wages, hours, and working conditions, even though they aren't union members.

Opponents of public sector unions claim that official time is a waste of taxpayer dollars. This is false. The cost of official time amounts to just one-tenth of 1 percent of all the salaries and benefits paid to Federal employees in a given year.

This amendment is an attack on official time and on public sector unions, plain and simple. I urge my colleagues to oppose any and all efforts to take rights away from workers and to oppose this antilabor amendment.

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