Federal labor unions are celebrating three pro-labor executive orders issued by President Obama implying a reversal of the previous administration’s opposition to organized labor.
The National Treasury Employees union called them "a welcome acknowledgement on the part of President Obama of the rights and contributions of working people and their unions."
One order, accompanying the announcement of a White House Middle Class Working Families Task Force, requires most federal contractors to post a notice of employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act.
Under another, if a contract changes hands, employees under the previous contract get right of first refusal for employment in non-supervisory or non-managerial positions, and another executive order prevents federal contractors from being reimbursed for supporting or deterring the formation of unions or collective bargaining.
The president of the American Federation of Government Employees, John Gage, said his union "looks forward to working with members of the Task Force to ensure that the middle class is front and center in the president’s plan to heal the economy."
"We appreciate the dedication of this administration to reverse the anti-labor and anti-worker policies that have been in place the last eight years," he added.