IFPTE Requests Senate Passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Which Includes Several Union Priorities
UPDATE:
12/22/2022 — The Senate passed the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, Senate Amendment to H.R. 2617, by a vote of 68 to 29. The omnibus bill includes the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which was added as an amendment with bipartisan support and is a key labor priority.
Read IFPTE’s letter to the House of Representatives and IFPTE’s letter to the Senate requesting passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
With the Senate considering passage of the “Omnibus” Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2023, IFPTE urged Senators to pass the government funding package which includes several funding and policy priorities that IFPTE advocated for. The current short-term government funding measure expires on December 23.
In a letter to Senators, IFPTE reminded them that this bill “provides resources to allow our government to enforce laws that protect working people, enable economic prosperity, provide a social safety net and government activities that promote a decent standard of living and public safety, support our national defense and economic security, and invest in innovation and economic development.”
IFPTE’s letter notes disappointment that the omnibus bill does not provide the funding requested by the Biden Administration for a number of federal agencies — requests which IFPTE supported and advocated for — and lacks provisions that are needed to support working Americans, economic prosperity, a non-politicized merit-based civil service, support workplace health and safety for federal and postal employees, and prevent discrimination against pregnant workers. These are among the legislative priorities that the union will focus on in 2023.
A list of IFPTE-supported priorities that is included in the omnibus bill includes:
A $25 million increase to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), for a total budget of $299.2 million for FY23. This 9% increase over the previous year is significantly less the $100 million IFPTE and other labor unions requested and what the NLRB justified as necessary to keep pace with a high volume of enforcement actions, unfair labor practice (ULP) filings, and adjudication of disputes, and to make up for a decade of flat funding levels. However, the omnibus bill provides enough funding to allow the NLRB to avoid furloughs and continue operations at a time when union representation petitions and ULP complaints are increasing and working Americans are exercising their democratic rights to form and join unions.
A $785 million increase to Social Security Administration (SSA), for an SSA limitation on administrative expenses of $14.1 billion for FY23. This 6% increase over the previous year’s budget helps keep pace with inflation and softens a decade of declining budgets. While IFPTE and the President’s budget request had asked for funding to fully address staffing shortages and service disruptions, the omnibus bill will provide resources to support retirement security and disability benefits for Americans.
Language sponsored by Senator Maria Cantwell to allow the Boeing 737 MAX-10 and MAX-7 variants the time necessary for FAA certification. This provision removes crew alert system requirements for these two aircraft variants but adds a requirement for additional safety enhancements for all MAX variants. This safety-focused language also supports our members, the flying public, and our nation’s export-driven aircraft manufacturing industry.
A $300 million increase for the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, for a budget of $1.77 billion for FY23. This commitment will fund R&D activities for advanced reactor projects and domestic fuel sources, help maintain current carbon-free nuclear energy generation, and support waste storage solutions.
A $1.34 billion increase for NASA, for a budget of $25.4 billion for FY23. This represents a 5.6% increase over the previous year, with significant NASA-requested resources for space operations and exploration. While we applaud the funding increase, we note with concern that increases in several key programs do not uniformly match inflation nor meet the agency’s budget request.
A $2 million increase to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), for a budget of $29.4 million for FY23. This 7% increase over the previous year will help support technology investments, maintain staffing levels, and improve case management efficiency for this independent agency that protects federal employee labor rights and facilitates stability in labor-management relations in the federal government.
The omnibus bill does not include any provisions pertaining to federal pay, which allows President Biden’s 4.6% average pay increase for federal employees to be implemented for 2023.
IFPTE also notes and appreciate the efforts of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) who are retiring from Congress at the end of the year.