EPA Union Demands Right to Work on Climate Change as Talks Start

The EPA’s biggest union put a “bill of rights” on the negotiating table as contract talks began Jan. 7, calling for the right to work on controlling the greenhouse gases driving climate change.

The American Federation of Government Employees’ rights document also included the right to talk about solutions to climate change, conduct climate change research, and enforce environmental laws without political interference.

The union also wants to reinstate work conditions that EPA employees lost in the current contract in July. That contract reduced telecommuting, limited flexible hours, and changed the rules on performance-related ...