The Federal Labor Relations Authority’s Chicago region
has rejected the Department of Agriculture’s stated
national security rationale for ending union
representation for import inspectors, the American
Federation of Government Employees has announced.
The union said it has represented food and import
inspectors since 1968. USDA has until October 10 to
appeal to the full FLRA, which is responsible for
deciding federal labor-management disputes.
“The FLRA soundly rejected the bogus rationalization
offered by USDA as to why import inspectors should
be ineligible for union representation,” said Stan
Painter, president of the National Joint Council of
Food Inspection Locals of AFGE.
The union said it is not aware of any other instance
where union representation was restored after being
removed due to a national security rationale.
