Statement on Unionization Effort
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) takes its role as a beacon and voice of the scientific community very seriously. We strive for a world that is both more inclusive and informed by science, and are committed to the idea that the path to that world starts by modeling it within our organization. Recently, FAS was asked to voluntarily recognize a union. The principles of transparency and inclusion to which the organizers appeal are values that resonate with both our organization’s leadership and our board of directors.
We respect that our employees have a broad range of opinions, and we believe that our decision not only affects our staff but also the scientific community we represent. To that end, our response to this effort is a significant organizational decision, and one that requires a thoughtful response as we seek to understand the full ramifications for our team, organization and work. Even though the organizers requested a response by July 17, we intend to take the full measure of time that the law allows us for this decision and plan to respond by July 24. We look forward to using the coming days to explore this decision, as we seek to align on the best path forward for this organization and our incredible team.
To secure the U.S. bio-infrastructure, maintain global leadership in biotechnology, and safeguard American citizens from emerging threats to their privacy, the federal government must modernize its approach to human genetic and biological data.
To ensure an energy transition that brings broad based economic development, participation, and direct benefits to communities, we need federal policy that helps shape markets. Unfortunately, there is a large gap in understanding of how to leverage federal policy making to support access to capital and credit.
From use to testing to deployment, the scaffolding for responsible integration of AI into high-risk use cases is just not there.
OPM’s new HR 2.0 initiative is entering hostile terrain. Those who have followed federal HR modernization for years desperately want this effort to succeed.