The United States: Staff Participation in Administrative Reform 1993–2004

The accession of George W. Bush to the presidency in 2001 brought a sharp change in policy on issues relating to staff participation in the reform of management practices within the federal government. President Clinton was a strong proponent of such participation, both direct and indirect as evidenced in his attempt to ‘reinvent’ the federal government known as the National Performance Review. As part of that initiative, Clinton promulgated an executive order1 creating a National Partnership Council and directing that partnership councils be created within each federal agency. The intent was to provide a venue in which representatives of both labour and management could discuss issues of joint concern. The Bush administration, in contrast, has taken a confrontational stance toward the federal employee unions. One of Bush’s first actions upon taking office was to revoke Clinton’s executive order on partnership councils. During its first three years, the Bush administration repeatedly took positions or endorsed policies that directly challenged the role of unions in the federal workplace.