Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 5/10/19


Faced with a planned relocation of their Washington office outside of the D.C. area, economists and other employees at USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) have voted to unionize.

The decision affects about 200 workers, according to the Huffington Post, which reported the preliminary vote count Thursday was 138 in favor of unionizing and four against the plan. The workers will join the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) upon ratification of the election results.

The AFGE has said workers at ERS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) reached out to the union after the Trump administration set in motion a plan to relocate the research agencies outside of Washington, D.C. ERS would also be moved from USDA’s Research, Education and Economics area to the Office of the Secretary.

AFGE said it believes the decision is in retaliation for research that contradicts the administration’s position on issues including climate change, food stamps and the impact of tax policy changes on smaller farmers. Congress restored funding to the ERS after USDA tried to cut its budget by 60%.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue has said the relocation plan, first announced in August, will put the agency closer to its stakeholders and customers. Earlier this month, USDA announced its top locations for the relocation are Kansas City, North Carolina and three sites in Indiana.

AFGE said it is in the process of filing an election petition for NIFA.

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