FEDERAL EMPLOYEE UNIONS: BARGAINING OR POLITICAL AGENTS?

MARICK F. MASTERS

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DOI: 10.2190/0FGH-1HB9-K9M1-TM3A

Abstract

Federal employee unions face competing organizational pressures. As the major federal unions, the American Federation of Government Employees, the National Federation of Federal Employees, and the National Treasury Employees Union bargain for nearly 950,000 federal employees and also attempt to provide political leadership for these workers. The extent to which these three unions allocate personnel resources to labor relations as opposed to political service is an important question for practical and theoretical reasons. This article examines the major personnel commitments of these unions between 1975 and 1980. The results indicate the unions unquestionably emphasize labor relations. The primary reason for this preference, according to union lobbyists, is the lack of union-security protection afforded to federal unions. This explanation appears to be consistent with Mancur Olson's economic interpretation of union political action, but additional research is needed to test the validity of this theory.

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