NFFE

National Federation of Federal Employees

An affiliation of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO

Press Release 12/12/06 For Information: Charles Paidock

NFFE/GSA National Council (312) 353-0830 charles.paidock@gsa.gov

Public Buildings Service Takes Down Display

Local of Union in Federal Agency

Targeted as a Terrorist Organization

On Monday, December 11, 2006, the Public Buildings Service of General Services Administration confiscated a small tabletop display, in red, white and blue colors, that a local of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) had been moving from floor to floor in the JCK Federal Building in Chicago, IL, featuring membership literature, and holiday candy and treats. The Union has been doing so for at least twenty-five (25) years.

During the middle of the membership drive, five (5) agency representatives showed up and demanded that the Union complete three (3) sets of forms concerning its presence in a federal building, and indicated that it could only do so in the vestibule area, because of “9/11” apparently so it could be monitored by security personnel. The agency also sent a safety and health engineer to inspect the table, which measured 2 feet by 4 feet.

The President of the Union is an employee of the Department of Homeland Security, and until reorganization, the local represented Officers of the Federal Protective Service.

The Union objected, since there was a display immediately across the hall for which no permit had been authorized, and it had never been required to secure “approval” in advance before. The agency Dept. of Human Resources was simply notified of the dates and locations, which had been done in November.

While the Union was engaged in correspondence with GSA, their table was confiscated, apparently sometime in the middle of the night on December 11, 2006.

Regional Vice President Charles Paidock, a Librarian for GSA, remarked that “I don’t know why they confiscated all of our Santa Claus lollipops? He added though, “It isn’t like we’re not in the building already. This is were we work everyday. It’s nothing but Union busting, hidden behind bureaucracy, and it disturbs me that agency managers would use the fallacious excuse of "concerns" for security implying that the Union might be of an "evil" nature. One can only wonder about the agency's state of mind that they would feel so threatened by a table top display of an innocuous harmless nature. Such overt and overzealous action by management only helps to reinforce the need for and protection that Unions provide.”

The offices of members of the US Congress, and relevant committees, are being contacted to have the table and display returned to the Union.