AFGE vowed to fight the General Services Administration’s attempt to unilaterally implement Trump’s anti-worker executive orders without first bargaining with the union.
GSA and AFGE have been in contract negotiations for several weeks, and the union has routinely reminded the agency that it could not unilaterally implement the EOs. GSA, however, told the union the agency intends to impose several provisions of the EOs on or about Oct. 26.
These provisions limit GSA employees’ ability to have access to their union representatives to seek help with unfair treatment, retaliation, discrimination, and other workplace issues.
While the Appeals Court’s ruling allows the administration to move forward with the EOs, it doesn’t mean federal agencies can implement them without bargaining with the union.
According to the executive orders themselves, agencies must bargain with unions if they conflict with a contract currently in place. Expired contracts must remain until the changes are negotiated, according to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), which adjudicates unfair labor practices and resolves negotiability disputes in the federal workplace.
“We will not let GSA trample on our workplace rights and voice at work,” said AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. “Just like we have a say in who should represent us in Congress, we deserve to have a say in matters that affect us in the workplace. That’s democracy.”