"I recently represented an employee that was hired under the disability hiring authority at the Federal Aviation Administration. This employee had performed satisfactorily for a number of years, but once her first level supervisor changed, her working conditions also dramatically changed.  Other employees were encouraged to report on the mistakes of this employee, and she was singled out for minor errors, which arguably can be attributed to her disability.  Ultimately, management reprimanded the employee for a raft of pretextual missteps.  Enter the union.  As a federal employee, I always hoped that federal employment would be a shining example of meritocracy and public service, where fairness was the rule rather than the exception, and where every American serving our country could do their best work.  When it became apparent to me that we were so far from this aspiration, I became involved in our federal service unions and have been involved ever since.  If our government agencies can’t deliver on the American promise in public service, then our federal service unions must.  As John F. Kennedy once said, “the American Labor Movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest.  It is, and has been, good for all America.”  As union officers, and representatives, stewards, and members, we must make good on the aspiration that our workplaces can be fair and equitable, that hard work is rewarded, and that the value and contribution of each of our fellow employees is recognized and celebrated.  If not us, then who will do this?"