Targeting elimination of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Mediation and Conciliation Service (FCMS), and other targeted federal agencies to eliminate “non-statutory components” and to “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.”
The FMCS is a federal agency that provides mediation, training, and facilitation to resolve labor-management disputes – disagreements between unions and employers. The agency was established in 1947 in part to strengthen the federal role in solving difficult labor disputes. Strikes, or work stoppages, are the most important and final form of leverage that workers have over their bosses to demand better working conditions. When strikes stretch on for long enough because the parties are not making progress at the bargaining table, they can cause real economic hardship for the striking workers and also cause broader disruption to the economy, particularly when they affect health care, infrastructure, public services, or public safety.
Impact
According to the agency, the FMCS had a 2024 budget that represents less than 0.0014% of the federal budget. Even eliminating the agency’s work and its staff entirely would not “save” the federal government money. It is not clear that President Trump actually has any legal authority to cut staff or limit the activities of the agency, as its programs are currently authorized and funded by Congress. If the Trump administration acts outside of its authority to slash the agency’s work, unions and employers will no longer have a neutral, third party in the government available to help navigate disagreements in bargaining.
https://www.epi.org/policywatch/targeting-elimination-of-federal-mediation-and-conciliation-service/
= new reply since forum marked as read
