Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 1776 Business Manager and Secretary-Treasurer Ben Banchs joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed Dual Status Technicians — a class of civil employees required to maintain military membership in the National Guard as a condition of their civilian employment — and why this status should be changed to a Title 5 federal employee in order to safeguard workers’ rights.

Local 1776 represents federal employees of the National Guard in 10 states and the territory of Guam.

There are about 30,000 Dual Status Technicians in the federal government. Banchs explained the problem these individuals face is the potential loss of military employment. If they were to leave the National Guard, they would also lose their civilian position. For instance, if a person 60 years old is forced out of the military and does not have enough years on the job to qualify for retirement, they will not be able to keep their full-time government position because it depends on their military status. Local 1776 is pushing the federal government to get rid of Dual Status requirements and simply consider these employees regular federal civil servants, he said.

Banchs also talked about what it was like serving a union of federal public service employees during the Trump administration. During his presidency, Trump issued three executive orders, which Banchs described as horrible for federal unions. These orders renegotiated Collective Bargaining Agreements, hamstrung a unions’ ability to represent workers and encouraged federal agencies to abandon fairness concepts.

It was an indication federal bargaining rights are particularly flimsy and can be changed with the stroke of a pen, Banchs said. He hopes President Biden is able to implement rules to protect federal bargaining rights from future anti-union onslaughts.

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