It’s been only six weeks since President Trump took office, but the damage to our government and the U.S.’s standing in the world has been massive. AFGE and our members, however, are fighting back. Here’s a quick recap of the major actions we have taken:
- Probationary employees: We filed a lawsuit against the administration for its illegal mass firings of probationary employees. A federal judge on Feb. 27 ruled that the mass firings were unlawful, saying OPM has no authority to fire employees employed by other agencies.
- USAID bill: We worked with members of Congress to introduce a bill, H.R. 1196, to prohibit the use of federal funds to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency was one of the first and biggest targets of the Trump administration, which has proceeded to end more than 90% of its foreign aid contracts. AFGE and allies are pursuing the next step of a lawsuit that seeks to stop the administration’s illegal attempt to shut down USAID. The recent decision by a judge to allow the Trump administration to put employees on leave was not on the merit of the case but rather jurisdiction – that the case should be heard in federal labor court. In addition to the lawsuit, we’re also working with Local 1534 which represents USAID employees, to file grievances over its violations of the labor-management contract and appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) for unlawful terminations of employees. To keep our members informed of the current situation including lawsuits that affect them, AFGE created a new website for USAID employees at www.afge.org/usaid. The website also provides resources such as ways they can fight back the attack on their agency, Executive Action Toolkit, RIF FAQ, Probationary FAQ, education resources, and more.
- Musk’s emails: Elon Musk’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) backtracked on its email requiring federal workers to list five things they did the past week or risk termination after AFGE threatened to challenge any unlawful terminations of our members. AFGE issued a statement and provided guidance to members on the issue right after Musk sent the email that caused confusion and stress among the federal workforce. Musk sent another email the following week. AFGE reiterated our stance.
- Legally binding contracts: For years, AFGE has prepared our locals to protect members in the event a future president tried to politicize the federal workforce. Our council and local leaders have put in place several safeguards against the politicization of the workforce and the work our members do in negotiated, legally-binding contracts. The AFGE EPA Council 238, for example, signed a contract last year with a provision protecting scientific integrity.
- Grievances: We’re working with councils and locals in drafting local and national grievances against actions that violated our contracts.
- Fighting back: AFGE’s councils and locals have been working hard to protect members from illegal efforts to shut down their agencies and cut staff. Trump’s attacks are unprecedented, but we are not taking it lying down. The AFGE council representing Social Security Administration (SSA) employees, for example, was largely successful in shielding the workers from Trump’s early attacks and is now working to fight Trump’s plan to cut staff by 50%.
- Schedule F: We filed a lawsuit against the administration for its efforts to politicize the civil service through Schedule F, now renamed Schedule Career/Policy.
- DOGE: We filed a lawsuit against the administration for sharing confidential data with the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) run by Elon Musk. As a result, a judge partially blocked DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems.
- DOGE: We filed a lawsuit against the administration for violating a law requiring that an advisory committee such as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) be fairly balanced in its membership and points of view.
- DOGE: We filed a lawsuit against the administration for violating the Privacy Act and Administrative Procedures Act when DOGE tried to access sensitive data at the Department of Labor and dismantle and restructure federal agencies unilaterally. A judge Feb. 27 ordered DOGE to testify.
- Fork directive: We filed a lawsuit against the administration for removing career public service workers and replacing them with partisan loyalists through the Fork Directive. A judge paused the deadline for the deferred resignation program as a result. Even though the judge eventually refused to further pause the deadline, we were able to delay the deadline to allow members to make a decision. The case is still ongoing as the judge did not rule on the underlying lawfulness of the program but procedural grounds, arguing the union had no direct stake.
- Executive Action toolkit: AFGE released a toolkit for members and locals to use in response to Trump’s anti-worker executive orders. The toolkit includes guidance and templates and will be updated regularly.
- Online clearing house: AFGE and allies have launched an online clearing house to share best practices and provide assistance to federal workers in understanding and exercising their rights. Civil Service Strong provides information about employee rights, legal representation, whistleblowing, and more. It explains the process to file a discrimination complaint through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the role of the Merit Systems Protection Board in protecting the civil service from political interference and upholding merit principles. The resource center will soon launch a centralized hub for individuals facing harassment by private individuals, or fearing firing, reassignment, or retaliation.
- Town halls: We held and participated in internal and external national, local, council, and district town halls with AFGE members, supporters, and elected officials discussing how AFGE is fighting and sharing best practices on how others can support our fight.
- Public responses: AFGE continues to educate the public about the impact of these anti-worker policies on federal employees and the American people who rely on them to provide the services they have paid for and deserve. AFGE leaders have been giving interviews to the media and have been quoted extensively on the danger of these policies.
- Legislative efforts and rallies: AFGE has been educating members of Congress on the real-world impact of Trump’s anti-worker directives on federal workers and the American people they serve in the hopes that they will work to nullify them through legislation. After Election Day, we began tracking statements and policy positions related to the federal workforce issued by President-elect Trump, congressional leaders, and think tanks supporting the incoming administration and gaming out the potential scope and impact of changes that the Trump administration and the 119th Congress could seek to make to the federal workforce. We expect the next 18 months to pose the gravest threat to the nonpartisan, merit-based civil service system since the system was established in 1883 and revised in the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act. We have also been working closely with our allies on Capitol Hill, in both the Republican and Democratic parties, to protect federal workers’ jobs, pay, and benefits.
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