Federal Government Policy and Business

USPS Vows Corrective Action to ‘Systemic Violations’ of Hatch Act During 2016 Election

Government Executive: The U.S. Postal Service agreed to change its policy that allowed union employees to take unpaid time off to engage in political activity after an independent investigation found the agency engaged in “systemic violations” of the Hatch Act that led to an “institutional bias” in favor of certain candidates.

Postmaster General Megan Brennan announced the changes in a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing Wednesday, which followed an inspector general’s report that brought the issue to light. That report found USPS spent $90,000 on overtime to cover for employees who took time off to campaign in advance of the 2016 election. The Office of Special Counsel followed up those findings with a report of its own—made public at Wednesday’s hearing—that the Postal Service’s actions had violated the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity in an official capacity.

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