HE JUST PUT THE “WHOOF” IN BARGAINING

You gotta love political appointees.  Some of them are just so damn much fun to watch. We opened the Washington Post recently to find that Ryan Zinke, the new “top dog” at Interior has decided to let employees bring dogs to work. It is not an insane idea.  After all, employers and businesses have been required to allow folks with certain disabilities to bring comfort dogs with them wherever they go, and lots of airlines let you fly with your dog if it can fit under the seat. But can you imagine what the cat lovers of the world are feeling right now about Zinke’s disregard for the feline class?  And don’t even get me started on the “forever friends of ferrets” fanatics.  If Fido can walk the grand halls of the Interior department, why can’t my weasel squirm its way into and out of someone’s drawers and seek the warming comfort of the office copier while I work with enhanced comfort? In any event, now that this “condition of employment” has been firmly established at Interior unions can use their mid-term right to initiate that NFFE firmly established for them and submit proposals for their own bargaining unit offices. Which pets will be allowed? Which species will get the best days of the week? Who cleans up after them? What about the employees who are allergic to the species du jour? Does a pet need a shot record to get past the metal detectors? Who is liable if someone gets bitten? Will the cafeteria stock the right chow for my ferret?  It prefers things that crawl and put up a fight, e.g., an injured mouse would be perfect.