President Joe Biden proved once again he’s a champion of his own workforce.
AFGE members asked Biden to revoke a memo former President Trump had issued in January 2020 that gave the Secretary of Defense or their designee the authority to eliminate collective bargaining rights for civilian workers in the Department of Defense.
Biden heard our call, and he revoked Trump’s memo on Feb. 24. AFGE President Everett Kelley applauds the president’s latest action to restore workplace rights.
“President Biden’s decision to revoke this memo ensures that DoD workers will retain the right to join a union and bargain collectively for better working conditions, and it is yet another positive step by his administration to support the working people who serve our country with honor and distinction,” Kelley said.
DoD workers have had the right to join a union and bargain collectively since 1962, and since that time they have proudly supported our service members during wartime and peacetime and helped keep our country safe.
“The previous administration’s attempt to strip DoD civilians of their union rights under the guise of national security was a blatant union-busting tactic that was repudiated by lawmakers from both political parties and never acted upon by the Secretary of Defense,” he added.
Our voices matter
The revocation of the DoD memo is Biden’s latest action on a long list of executive actions he has taken to restore workplace rights for federal workers and boost their morale following four years of repeated attacks by the Trump administration that saw a hollowed-out federal workforce, including a mass exodus of federal scientists and researchers. Agencies’ missions suffered as a result of Trump’s assault on his own workforce.
Before Biden was elected President, he pledged support for federal workers and our union and vowed to undo the damage his predecessor had done.
In the first few days in office, Biden revoked Trumps’ May 2018 executive orders aimed at destroying unions and workplace rights. He rescinded Trump’s Schedule F executive order that allowed agencies to hire and fire hundreds of federal workers for political reasons. He stopped trump’s last-minute union busting rules.
See the list of Biden’s executive actions seeking to rebuild the federal workforce and boost morale here. This is the direct result of AFGE members coming together to shape our own future!
Want more wins like these?
Join with your coworkers and join AFGE today. Our voices matter!
AFGE Council of Prison Locals President Brandy Moore White told lawmakers there’s a whole other side to the discussion of sexual abuse in federal prisons.
Read More
Michael Knowles talks about the importance of electing the candidate that supports federal employees and promotes democracy.
Read More
AFGE Local 2065 empowers workers through organizing.
Read More
