He was a Baptist pastor for 31 years. Now he leads the largest federal labor union.
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Version 0 of 1. If Everett Kelley’s role as a Baptist preacher provides a pipeline to a higher authority, maybe it will offer the guidance and help he’ll need in his new gig as leader of the largest federal labor organization. He was sworn in as president of the American Federation of Government Employees last week during a particularly fraught period for the union and federal employees generally. Kelley, 63, ascended to the office when J. David Cox Sr. resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations that had roiled the union for months. More importantly for feds beyond AFGE’s membership is President Trump’s sustained and successful attacks on government unions that hit even those who are not dues-payers. Through various actions, notably three executive orders issued in 2018, Trump has damaged the ability of labor organizations to support and defend federal staffers. Because the unions represent all employees covered by contracts whether they are members or not, the administration’s actions undermine workplace protections for far more workers than those who belong to labor organizations. The largest federal employee union punches back at Trump Kelley’s comrade, Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, describes the president’s assault on unions with these words: rewriting, rigging and clogging. Trump, Reardon said, is “rewriting the rules of labor-management relations in the federal sector” to severely limit bargaining and how unions represent employees; “rigging the process for resolving disputes” by “stripping employees of their collective bargaining rights”; and “clogging the appeals process” by allowing the Merit Systems Protection Board to become “basically dormant. … An agency whose express purpose is to guard merit system principles has been left to die.” On top of the internal controversy and Trump’s policies comes the coronavirus and its effect on federal agencies. “AFGE has serious concerns regarding the health and safety of the federal workforce and with the administration’s efforts to prevent, detect, and treat the Coronavirus, or COVID-19,” because safety procedures have not been adequately communicated to the workforce, Kelley said in a statement released Wednesday. This is the environment facing Kelley as he leads a union representing 700,000 employees, including more than 330,000 members, in 42 agencies. Immediately before becoming its president, he was the union’s national secretary-treasurer. He joined AFGE in 1981, while repairing tanks at the Anniston Army Depot in Bynum, Ala. He grew up in the small Alabama towns of Goodwater and Sylacauga and was pastor of St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church in Lincoln, Ala., for 31 years. President of the largest federal labor group is accused of misconduct We talked with Kelley last week in the president’s office, which still was filled with pictures of Cox, his family and his dog, along with Washington football team mementos. Kelley, married with four children and six grandchildren, is a car enthusiast and planned to decorate the space with his many model cars. He also has two classic real cars, a 1965 GMC pickup and a 1957 Chevy Bel Air, both red. Having been an Army cook, Kelley likes to prepare barbecue ribs with his own sauce. This is an edited version of our conversation: Q: You take office because of the Cox scandal and in the midst of Trump’s effort to undermine federal labor unions. Do these things pose any particular difficulties for you as you assume this position? Kelley: I see an opportunity for growth. I see an opportunity for unifying our base. Certainly, there is a cloud. But I’m trying my best to focus more now on how we build our union, how we build our union power. I can’t downplay the amount of distraction. But I think for the most part that membership was ready to get this behind us and move on. Q: Has the Cox scandal hurt the morale of AFGE members? A: Certainly, anytime there are those types of allegations, there is a sense of low morale. But I think that for the most part, the membership is expecting the NEC [National Executive Council] to act on these issues, get them behind us so we can move on. Q: Has Trump been successful in weakening federal labor unions? A: I’m not going to agree that he’s weakened the unions. If you look at all the things that we have accomplished while we had these executive orders in play, we’ve still been able to make some ground for federal employees. So, I’m not going say that [the administration] has weakened the union, but it certainly has tried. Q: What are some accomplishments achieved in spite of Trump? A: We ended up getting a 3.1 percent pay raise. That was major for federal employees. When we think of [paid] parental leave, we think that was a major victory for federal employees to be able to now bond with your family once you have a baby or you adopt a child. Q: How does being a Baptist preacher inform your role as union president? A: I’ve always viewed this union work as ministry. I believe that is God’s, because, He said if you have done it to the least of these, my brother, you’ve done it to me. And so, when I see veterans not being cared for adequately, when I see a person entitled to Social Security and they’re not getting it, I hear that ringing. I’m not talking about whether you’re a Christian or whether you’re Muslim or whether you are Buddhist, none of that matters, because this labor movement is wide open for everybody. Read more: Watchdog warns of election security issues this year and chides federal agency How a lack of diversity at federal agencies can have serious consequences Why EPA employees in the Trump era say they need a Workers’ Bill of Rights The largest federal employee union punches back at Trump |