Labor unions across the United States have taken legal action against the Trump administration, accusing it of attempting to dismantle federal employee unions through an executive order. Over a million federal government workers are at the center of this lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The unions allege that President Trump’s executive order is an act of retaliation due to their previous court challenges against the administration’s actions targeting federal employees.
The lead plaintiff, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents over 820,000 federal workers, is joined by several other unions, including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Association of Government Employees (NAGE-SEIU), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), National Nurses United (NNU), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). These organizations collectively represent more than 950,000 federal employees.
“AFGE is not going to be intimidated by a bully who is throwing a temper tantrum because our union is beating them in the court of law and in the court of public opinion,” said Everett Kelley, AFGE National President. “Federal employees have had the right to join a union and bargain collectively for decades.”
AFSCME President Lee Saunders emphasized that the order challenges workers’ ability to protect public services and their jobs, stating that “The extremists in this administration have made their contempt for public service workers clear.” NAGE National President David J. Holway echoed concerns that the order would weaken public services.
April Verrett, president of SEIU, argued that the order was a direct attack on workers’ rights to bargain for a better future. Nancy Hagans, president of NNU, highlighted the risk of losing collective bargaining rights for advocating for patient safety and veteran care.
“This is the most significant assault on collective bargaining rights we have ever seen in the United States,” said Randy Erwin, National President of NFFE-IAM, underscoring the severity of the executive order and expressing confidence that legal protections for workers’ rights would prevail.
The unions criticize the broad application of a national security exemption in the executive order, arguing it unjustly affects workers not involved with national security. The complaint highlights the impact on workers in various agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency.
