Executive Order 10988

Contents

Workers gained the right to join unions and other organizations of workers; however they were not permitted to strike—federal strikes had been explicitly prohibited in 1947 by the Taft-Hartley Act

The order in some ways went further than the Wagner Act, instructing agencies to develop informal relationships with employee organizations (so long as they are not corrupt or undemocratic) and not to campaign against them. In fact, the order asks agencies to seek their input with "affirmative willingness".

However, the order does not require "good faith negotiations", as the Wagner Act does. And because federal workers are not allowed to strike, labor disputes can only legally reach the point of an "impasse". An impasse can be resolved by appeals to mediators, fact-finders, or a higher authority

The order explicitly does not apply to intelligence agencies. It also gives agency heads the right to suspend its rules for operations outside of the United States.

Effect

Union membership among federal employees increased several times over in the next decade. This effect boosted even longstanding federal unions, such as the National Federation of Federal Employees.

This expansion led President Lyndon B. Johnson to form the Presidential Review Committee on Employee-Management Relations in the Federal Service.

Military

There had been some history of unionizing in the military before 1961, and when the order was passed around 10% of service members were part of outside organizations. By 1968 these figures had risen: 39% of the Army, 44% of the Air Force, and 53% of the Navy belonged to employee organizations.

The order yielded many collective bargaining agreements, which have generally provided for arbitration in labor grievances.

Public sector

Labor historians believe that Executive Order 10988 served as a model for public sector unionism, even for local, municipal and state employees. Membership in AFSCME increased substantially during the 1960s and 1970s, and 22 states legalized collective bargaining for public sector workers. Public sector strikes also increased many times over.

In June 2018, the Supreme Court decision in the case of Janus v. AFSCME found that application of public sector union fees to government employees who are not union members represents compelled speech, and as such is a violation of First Amendment rights. This decision by the Supreme Court potentially reduces funding for Unions that represent Federal Government employees. Some have proposed repeal of Executive Order 10988, which could potentially occur if the President were to issue an executive order vacating Executive Order 10988.

References

References

1. Hart, Wilson R.. (January 1964). "The U. S. Civil Service Learns to Live with Executive Order 10,988: An Interim Appraisal". Industrial and Labor Relations Review.
2. Davies, David C.. (October 1969). "GRIEVANCE ARBITRATION WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 10988". Military Law Review.
3. Abramson, Elliott M.. (1983). "RIGHTS TO OFFICIAL TIME FOR UNIONS REPRESENTING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES". Case Western Reserve Law Review.
4. Fleischli, George R.. (May–June 1968). "DUTY TO BARGAIN UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 10988". Air Force Law Review.
5. Goulden, Joseph C.. (1982). "Jerry Wurf: Labor's Last Angry Man". Atheneum.
6. McCartin, Joseph A.. (2008). ""A Wagner Act for Public Employees": Labor's Deferred Dream and the Rise of Conservatism, 1970–1976". Journal of American History.
7. (7 June 2018). "Time to Repeal JFK's Executive Order 10988". Wall Street Journal.