Source: POLTICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 4/22/19

ERS employees next month are widely expected to vote in favor of forming a union — just days before USDA is aiming to announce where it intends to relocate the agency and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, our Liz Crampton reports.

If ERS workers vote to unionize, employees would form a collective bargaining unit and launch contract discussions with USDA. The move would give employees legal standing to engage with the department on the proposed relocation, said Peter Winch, an organizer for the American Federation of Government Employees.

— "Morale has been destroyed at this agency," Winch said. "Forming a union and being able to stand up for themselves and advocate is already improving morale."

NIFA employees are also considering unionizing, and a vote is expected before the end of May. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told a Senate Appropriations panel earlier this month that the department will name the final site selection by mid-May.

A cost-benefit analysis of the proposed move will accompany the site announcement. "If I can't bring a deal to you that makes sense, then I wouldn't expect you all to approve it," Perdue told appropriators.