Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

An employee who also serves as a union officer requires special treatment by public management, just as his counterparts do in the private sector.^ Management may not discriminate against a union officer because of union activities, legitimately conducted, since this would discourage union membership and frustrate grievance handling and the entire collective bargaining process; as in the private sector, this would constitute an unfair labor practice under the provisions of Executive Order 11491 in the federal service or under the terms of various state laws governing state and local government employees.