The cost of federal employees conducting union business while working may actually be millions of dollars more than agencies previously thought, according to a new report.
In 2012 the cost of federal employees conducting union business – called “official time” – reached $157.2 million and a combined 3.44 million hours. But the Office of Personnel Management’s method to calculate official time might be understating the cost, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO instead calculated the cost by using actual salary data for the union employees at six different agencies and multiplied that by the hours worked. While OPM had said the cost of official time at those agencies was $56 million in 2012, the GAO said it was $5 million more, or $61 million.
While some agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Labor Department have seen declines in official time since 2006, many agencies saw significant increases, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Veterans Affairs Department.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said taxpayers have the right to know the true cost of union activities and that the reporting needed to be reformed. Issa was one of several members of Congress who asked GAO to conduct the report.
“This study shows that the federal government is falling short in keeping track of so-called ‘official time’ and must make changes to prevent underreporting,” Issa said.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said agencies should be focused on their missions and not on union activities.
“With veterans literally dying waiting to see a doctor, VA staff should be focused on fulfilling the promises made to America’s heroes rather than on performing union duties to secure greater benefits for themselves,” Coburn said.
Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said more work needs to be done to ensure transparency and accountability in the reporting of official time.
“As long as taxpayers are forced to subsidize union activity, they should—at the minimum—have access to reliable data that shows where their hard-earned money is being spent,” Gingrey said.
The GAO recommended that OPM consider other approaches to developing its cost estimates and work with other agencies to improve their data collection and reporting. OPM should also consider whether to share any existing agency best practices across government, according to the GAO.
