AFGE’s council representing more than 8,000 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency says it will keep fighting for its members and their critical jobs after the agency said it was cancelling our negotiated contract.
“The Trump administration and EPA’s unlawful and authoritarian move to unilaterally strip EPA workers of their collective bargaining agreement and workplace rights is nothing short of an assault on our democracy, the rule of law, and the lives of working people in America,” AFGE Council 238 President Justin Chen said.
“When you strip the rights of EPA workers, you weaken the EPA’s ability to do its job and ensure Americans can drink clean water and breathe clean air – and that’s exactly what Trump, [EPA Administrator Lee] Zeldin, and their billionaire supporters want,” Chen said.
EPA’s action follows a similar move by the Department of Veterans Affairs to revoke its negotiated contracts with AFGE and other labor unions – and other agencies are expected to follow suit.
Both EPA and the VA cited Executive Order 14251 as the grounds for terminating our master collective bargaining agreements. But AFGE and other labor unions are challenging the executive order in court, and the administration’s own guidance from the Office of Personnel Management instructs agencies “not to terminate any CBAs until the conclusion of litigation.” Administration officials also have stated in court recently that union contracts were not being terminated.
“Make no mistake, this move isn’t about government efficiency or national security. It’s about silencing workers and clearing the way for more deregulation so corporate polluters can have free reign. These are the same industries that bankrolled Trump’s campaign and now stand to profit while Americans pay the price with their health and with our environment,” Chen said.
“Let me be clear: our union of more than 8,000 members will not back down. AFGE Council 238 is united in our fight to defend our rights, our agency’s mission, and to protect the future of our country and planet. We will see the administration in court.”
Since taking office in January 2025, President Trump has issued a series of unlawful executive orders, and taken several unlawful actions, seeking to shut down congressionally mandated agencies, fire and displace federal workers, outlaw their unions, and gut merit systems protections.
Read More
A federal judge has ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate the union contract covering 320,000 VA employees represented by AFGE in a major victory over the implementation of President Trump’s union-busting executive orders.
Read More
As the Department of Homeland Security shutdown reaches the one-month mark with no end in sight, AFGE leaders are calling on Congress to ensure all DHS workers are paid.
Read More
