Dennis Ross Demands to Know How Many Federal Manhours Spent on Union Business

U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., to demand answers on federal employees handling public union duties on the taxpayers dime. The congressmen sent a letter to Katherine Archuleta, the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), demanding to know how many federal manhours were spent on union business in FY 2012.

"Since taxpayers pay the salary of all federal employees, they have a right to know how much of their money is used for conducting union business while on the clock," said Ross on Tuesday. "That's why I introduced the Official Time Reporting Act which would require OPM to submit an annual report to Congress on the use of official time by federal employees. We are more than $17 trillion in debt. I believe in fair representation; however, we must ensure that we are spending the people's hard-earned money wisely."

"Americans deserve to know where their tax dollars are being spent, and failure to publish an official time report only perpetuates their distrust of the Obama administration," said Gingrey. "The American people would be better served if the use of official time were fully repealed -- as I have proposed in my bill, the Federal Employee Accountability Act. Until this legislation becomes law, however, the least the administration can do to provide adequate transparency and accountability is disclose every penny of our taxpayers' money going to pay union salaries. OPM must commit to responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars by immediately releasing the FY13 Official Time Report."

OPM found federal employees spent 3.4 million hours on union business while on the clock in fiscal year 2011 as taxpayers were billed more than $155 million.