Biden administration abolishes ICE labor union

Quote:

---

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Thursday, August 11, 2022

The Biden administration delivered a death sentence Thursday to the labor organization that represents thousands of employees at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Federal Labor Relations Authority’s decision erases the National ICE Council and leaves its 7,600 members, mostly deportation officers, without a collective bargaining agreement or union representation, members said.

The move also dents a prominent critic of both the administration and the American Federation of Government Employees, the umbrella union that included the ICE Council.

AFGE moved to “disclaim” the ICE employees this summer after the council filed a complaint claiming gross mismanagement and hostile intentions at AFGE. AFGE President Everett Kelley said the ICE Council wasn’t a good partner in the labor movement.

FLRA Regional Director Jessica S. Bartlett agreed to AFGE’s request in a decision Thursday, saying that ICE also sided with AFGE in its battle to ax the council.

“Based on AFGE’s disclaimer of interest, I find that it is appropriate to revoke the certification for the unit of non-professional employees,” Ms. Bartlett wrote in her decision.

Chris Crane, president of the council, said the government colluded with AFGE to silence the organization and its members.

“There is no doubt that ICE and DHS leadership worked in unison with corrupt union bosses to make this happen,” he said. “DHS and AFGE leadership both wanted desperately to silence ICE Council whistleblowers. Without a union, it’s doubtful those whistleblowers will have jobs much longer.”

He also called the FLRA’s decision “the largest single act of whistleblower retaliation in United States history” by depriving union members of their representation.

“We did what we were supposed to do. We reported to the Department of Labor that union bosses at AFGE were allegedly spending dues money on prostitutes and strippers, sexually assaulting their own

---