Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act

This bill makes federal agencies share, every year, how much paid work time and money they spend on union-related activities. Each agency must send a report to Congress and post it on its public website by June 30 each year after the law takes effect. The report must list the total cost of “official time” (paid work hours used for union work) and explain why each use was approved. It must also give per-employee details like job, base pay, any bonus, benefit costs, hours spent on union work, and what share of the employee’s work time that is.

Agencies must add totals for other union-related costs, such as pay for bargaining, handling grievances, mediation or arbitration; fees to arbitrators; travel and lodging for bargaining; money spent on outside experts; free or discounted use of agency space or property by unions (including square footage and the dollar value of that use); any reimbursements collected; other support costs like admin help and technology; reasons for any year-over-year increase in official time; and any penalties, awards, or settlements tied to labor disputes. The Government Accountability Office must audit these reporting practices at least once every four years and brief Congress if an agency is not using standard accounting rules.

• Who is affected: Federal agencies, federal employees who use official time, and labor unions that represent federal workers.
• What changes: Agencies must publish detailed, yearly reports on costs and time spent on union-related work, property use, and dispute costs; GAO audits the accounting behind these reports .
• When: Reports are due by June 30 each year after the law starts; GAO audits occur at least once every four years .