IS THAT A TRUMP BUMP I SEE?
As the year ends, many unions are filing their annual LM-2 reports outlining their financial situations. One of the most prominent federal employee union to do so, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), is showing a bump as big as Octomom’s. Line 20 of its latest report shows that in comparison to last year’s report it has added about 12,000 new members for about a 14% increase. WOW! We would love to attribute it to the superb legal work by the more than 80 lawyers it employs, or the hundreds of dedicated local chapter leaders. But in fairness the biggest thing that happened to NTEU this year is Trump’s revenge-driven executive order to take collective bargaining rights away from most of the union’s bargaining units. While I was worried that the EO would be the beginning of the end for NTEU and other unions, it is thrilling to see Trump’s spiteful order blow up in his face. It appears that it drove thousands of federal employees in only about a dozen agencies to admit that unions, not Trump or his political party posse, have their best interest at the top of their agenda. Let’s hope this is only the first of many great LM-2 reports.