A top American Federation of Government Employees official made life miserable for his employees while leading an office dedicated to ensuring that federal employees are not mistreated, an investigation found.
Jeremy A. Lannan, the union’s National Vice President for Women and Fair Practices (WFP), was tasked with “promot[ing] civil, human, and workers’ rights for the more than 700,000 federal and D.C. government employees represented by AFGE.” But an internal investigation obtained by The Daily Wire shows that Lannan frequently engaged in the type of behavior he was meant to prevent.
Lannan oversaw “a workplace where it is not uncommon for WFP employees to be demeaned… and intimidated,” an investigation by the Potomac Law Group found. AFGE hired Potomac to investigate Lannan after two employees complained about his leadership. The investigation also found turnover among Lannan’s employees was “extremely high.”
Lannan’s executive assistant told the Potomac Law Group that the union boss “acts like he owns me.” She said he uses a “fear factor” to manage his employees to the point where she had trouble eating or sleeping, and that he is “spiraling.”
Another subordinate, who manages cases in which the union fights for employees who say the federal government discriminated against them, said Lannan “may be Jekyll or Hyde on any given day” and is “losing it.”
She said she receives “barrages of emails accusing” her of being disrespectful of his position, and his “combative” “outbursts” are so common that she has sought therapy.
On May 7, AFGE National Vice President Arnold Scott charged Lannan with violating AFGE’s constitution by “bullying and creating a hostile work environment,” adding that “his retaliation against these employees for filing is conduct unbecoming a union member.”
“These charges are so serious that removal should be the penalty because of the legal liability that AFGE could face. There needs to be a clear message sent that this type of conduct will not be tolerated by officers of AFGE,” the charging document said.
AFGE and Lannan did not return requests for comment from The Daily Wire. Lannan is still listed on the web page listing the union’s top three leaders, and is running for president of the public-sector union in its election next month.
Appointed to his position in 2018, Lannan boasted that he was “making history” as the first man to oversee the woman-centric office. Lannan, who is gay, called himself “my sister’s keeper,” given his mandate to stop federal bosses from mistreating employees, particularly females. His official AFGE bio states that under Lannan’s leadership, “AFGE furthered its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by developing additional programs and constituency groups” including black, Asian, and Hispanic union members.
Jeremy Lannan, national vice president, AFGE Women and Fair Practices, was the guest speaker for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Pride Month program held in the Frank B. Lotts Conference Center on Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia / Department of Defense
Five additional employees told the Potomac Law Group that Lannan had treated them similarly, evidence of “a prevalent trend of employee mistreatment,” the report concluded.
One described a pattern of “erratic” behavior and “manipulation,” calling Lannan a “bully.” For example, she said at AFGE’s 2023 Legislative and Grassroots Mobilization Conference, Lannan “slammed his hand down” so hard “that the table shook.”
Another employee said Lannan frequently yelled and treated his employees as “indentured servants.”
Another employee said he “bullies, berates, and belittles” employees. Still another said he made “demeaning comments.”
In response, Lannan—whom the Department of Defense tapped to lead a Pride Month celebration—denied the allegations, telling the investigator that one of the complainants had engaged in misconduct. Lannan also claimed that he “receives unfavorable treatment by AFGE” because he is gay, and called the investigation “an example of negative action being taken against him because he is gay.”
Union presidency campaign flier / JeremyLannan.com
