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Today, Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) joined Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) in introducing the No Union Time on the Taxpayer’s Dime Act, which would prohibit the use of “official time” by federal employees engaging in union activities while on the clock. This legislation would restore accountability to the federal workforce and ensure taxpayer dollars are used solely to serve the American people, not subsidize private union interests.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for federal employees to conduct union business instead of fulfilling their official duties,” Rep. Cline said. “Ending ‘official time’ is a commonsense step to ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and to increase accountability across the federal workforce. Public funds should serve the American people, not private union interests.”

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is introducing the companion legislation in the Senate.

If enacted, this bill would:

Eliminate the Use of Official Time: The bill would amend 5 U.S.C. § 7131 to make clear that any activity performed by an employee relating to the business of a labor organization must be carried out while the employee is in a non-duty status. In other words, federal employees can engage in union activities, but only on their own time and at their own expense.

Ensure Taxpayer Funds Are Used Appropriately: According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), federal employees spent 3.6 million hours performing union-related activities in 2016 alone, costing taxpayers $177.2 million. Even after reforms under the Trump Administration brought that number down to 2.6 million hours and $134.9 million in 2019, the lack of unified reporting means the full scope of the problem remains unknown today.

Restore Accountability to the Federal Workforce: The current lack of transparency and weak statutory guardrails have enabled widespread abuse of official time. Some federal employees are spending the vast majority or all of their time engaged in union work rather than fulfilling the responsibilities of the positions for which they were hired. If you are being paid by the taxpayer, you should be doing the work of the taxpayer.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Background: 

“Official time” was established under the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to allow federal employees to represent labor organizations while remaining on the federal payroll. However, it has grown into an unaccountable and costly practice that diverts resources away from the core functions of government. Without reliable, up-to-date reporting requirements, the extent of the misuse is difficult to track, leaving the American people footing the bill for work that serves private union agendas rather than the public interest.