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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Texas National Guard troops assigned to Operation Lone Star become the first guard members to unionize while on active duty and organize with Texas State Employees Union
2022-02-18
  • National Guard troops in Texas are legally organizing and forming unions while serving on state active duty orders

  • Federal laws prohibiting members of the military from organizing unions 'does not apply to Guard members on state active duty' DoJ lawyers wrote last month

  • The green-light to organize hinges upon the troops’ legal status as state employees rather than military members when they are on state active duty

  • Usually, Guard troops only go on state active duty for short periods of time such as after a disaster or civil disturbance

  • But Texas' National Guard’s Operation Lone Star, includes up to 10,000 members of the Texas Military Department who are mobilized on year-long orders

  • Operation Lone Star was created by Texas Governor Greg Abbott amidst a wave of illegal immigrants from Central America crossing the US-Mexico border

  • It deploys law enforcement in areas human and drug smugglers known to use
They will join the Texas State Employees Union's Military Caucus.

Their unionization comes after a recent filing by the Justice Department that allows for troops with the Guard to join; their first union meeting is scheduled for next week.

A federal law that had previously prohibited members of the military from organizing unions 'does not apply to Guard members on state active duty or in the Inactive National Guard,' DOJ lawyers wrote in a court filing last month.
Do tell. Whose bright idea was it to organize this effort, and what are his connections to the FBI, et al?
Posted by:Skidmark

#8  A unionized military force

Police unions in the United States
Posted by: Skidmark   2022-02-18 15:54  

#7  Remember, this is STATE Active Duty, not federal. They are state employees wearing the uniform because they are also qualified current or former federally recognized soldier and airmen. The chain of command ends with the Governor, and they earn state pay, and state credit in the state pension system. Warfighting is NOT their mission, state security and emergency missions as assigned by the governor, to support state law, are their mission set.
Posted by: NoMoreBS   2022-02-18 15:15  

#6  As their informal duty becomes formalized, I will predict the rank of the union steward will be E9.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-02-18 12:36  

#5  A unionized military force is just about on of the worst ideas I can think of.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia    2022-02-18 12:32  

#4  "We're taking enemy fire..."

"File a grievance. I think the form is SUX2BU0999-2022-2. That is all..."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-02-18 12:10  

#3  "Their unionization comes after a recent filing by the Justice Department that allows for troops with the Guard to join; their first union meeting is scheduled for next week."

This just stinks of Biden admin screwing with Texas. Also, it'll be interesting to see how many attend the first scheduled meeting. If they dont' announce massive numbers we can assume the Guard weren't actually following the narrative and didn't show up.
Posted by: ruprecht   2022-02-18 11:53  

#2  ...A few months ago - during one kerfluffle or another - I pointed out that some of the loudmouthed former generals and current idiots politicians who were calling for the Administration to crack down on something had suddenly remembered that the Governors controlled a LOT of America's military power. This may be part of the solution to that.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2022-02-18 11:41  

#1  Will be interesting. If Texas has their own UCMJ, it trumps any 'union' requests.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-02-18 07:57  

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