AFGE will challenge the Trump administration for illegally attempting to strip over one million federal workers of collective bargaining rights and rip up union contracts.
In the biggest attack on the labor movement in history, President Trump on March 27 issued an executive order illegally stripping collective bargaining rights from federal workers under the guise of “national security.” The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) also issued guidance telling agencies to end union rights and union contracts and shut down grievance procedures. It also told agencies to continue Trump’s Reduction in Force (RIF) order but ignore RIF requirements in the union contracts that have been cancelled.
“President Trump's latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants – nearly one-third of whom are veterans – simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley. “This administration’s bullying tactics represent a clear threat not just to federal employees and their unions, but to every American who values democracy and the freedoms of speech and association. Trump’s threat to unions and working people across America is clear: fall in line or else.”
“These threats will not work,” he added. “Americans will not be intimidated or silenced. AFGE isn’t going anywhere. Our members have bravely served this nation, often putting themselves in harm’s way, and they deserve far better than this blatant attempt at political punishment.”
Trump’s executive order uses “national security” as a political weapon to silence federal workers – AFGE members who have protected this country with integrity for decades. From VA nurses to EPA scientists to cybersecurity experts, these workers have always operated under collective bargaining without compromising national security. This move is not about protection – it’s about power. It’s also a direct attack on AFGE for doing our job – fighting for our members and pushing back against harmful policies.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed to protect workers’ right to organize.
“Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to stand up for working class Americans. They lied. Instead of lowering the high cost of living, Republicans are attacking everyday Americans and crashing the economy in real time,” Jeffries said in a statement. “The freedom to negotiate, join a union and collectively bargain for a living wage is a central part of achieving the American dream for many in this country. We will defend at all times the right to organize.”
U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a joint statement saying Trump’s latest attack on the federal workforce is making America less safe.
“This is just another attempt by President Trump to ‘traumatize’ and illegally fire federal workers. Collective bargaining makes the federal workforce stronger, and undermining these rights does nothing to improve our national security,” they said. “In fact, this order will only make us less safe, as this executive order is only Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s latest gambit to make it easier to fire the people who ensure public safety, prepare for pandemics, respond to natural disasters, and much, much more. This political attack on our civil servants must not stand.”
OPM’s guidance lists agencies that have been ordered to end collective bargaining rights and union contracts.
Make your voice heard—because federal unions are not going anywhere!
April 5 Mass Mobilization Day
Kelley will be speaking at the Hands Off! rally on April 5 in Washington, D.C. The rally, organized by the grassroots group Indivisible, is part of the mass mobilization day where the American people who believe in democracy will gather at almost 800 rallies across the country to protest Trump and Elon Musk’s power grab and tell the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government, our economy, and workplace rights. AFGE members are encouraged to attend and make their voices heard.
Joining Kelley at the D.C. rally were Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Mn.), Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), National Nurses United President Nancy Hagans, Indivisible Executive Director Leah Greenberg, attorney and author Norm Eisen, and other movement leaders, elected officials, and working Americans.
The labor movement’s solidarity
The AFL-CIO and other labor unions and allies, such as AFSCME, UAW, IUPAT, CWA, IFPTE, AFA-CWA ,NFFE-IAM, OPEIU, USW, UWUA, APWU, WGA East, AGMA, LiUNA, Actors' Equity Association, and EPI took Trump’s illegal action as an assault on the entire labor movement and working families.
“To every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers, now is the time to be even louder,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “The labor movement is not about to let Trump and an unelected billionaire destroy what we’ve fought for generations to build. We will fight this outrageous attack on our members with every fiber of our collective being.”
“This is the behavior of an autocrat who grants rights to those who bow down to him and strips the rights of those who challenge him. It is a direct assault on the principles of democracy and the rule of law,” said Economic Policy Institute President Heidi Shierholz. “We cannot allow this power grab to go unchallenged. By undermining the rights of workers who ensure our national security, public health, and economic stability, the administration is not only attacking unions but also jeopardizing the very services that keep our nation safe and functional.”
Fast Facts: Federal Sector Collective Bargaining
AFGE has partnered with other labor unions and allied organizations to form Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network.
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AFGE and other AFL-CIO and unions representing workers across private and public sector industries sued the Trump administration over its dismantling of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
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Week 13 saw Trump ignoring the Supreme Court’s order, intimidating lawmakers, threatening universities, and floating the idea of sending U.S. citizens to foreign prisons.
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