The Trump administration is moving swiftly to terminate our negotiated contracts since an appeals court lifted a preliminary injunction that had been blocking implementation of Trump’s anti-union executive order.
As of this writing, our contracts have been canceled at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, Food Safety and Inspection Service, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley said the move to cancel workers’ contracts at the VA and other agencies is due to AFGE’s aggressive and successful advocacy on behalf of our members and the work they do for the American public.
“Ripping up our negotiated union contracts is a clear example of this administration retaliating against AFGE members for speaking out against the illegal, anti-worker, and anti-veteran policies of this administration,” Kelley said.
Stripping EPA workers of their rights will make it harder for them to do their jobs and make it easier for the administration to undo environmental protections, Council 238 President Justin Chen said.
“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.
Paula Schelling Soldner, President of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, believes that the termination of the FSIS contract flies in the face of every promise it has made to protect America’s food supply.
“Without a contract, inspectors will think twice about stopping the line when they see a diseased animal on its way into our food supply — justifiably fearing retaliation from a processor or a politicized supervisor. That means our food inspection process will be severely compromised, critical safety concerns will go unreported, and with too few inspectors already on the job, the risks will multiply,” she stated.
Agencies are citing 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.
On Aug. 1, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals paused a preliminary injunction that had been temporarily preventing 21 agencies from implementing Trump’s order that calls for eliminating collective bargaining due to “national security” concerns.
What Comes Next
AFGE is assessing our options to challenge these contract terminations and restore our members’ union rights.
What workers should do: Employees should call their congressional offices and make sure their representative has sponsored the discharge petition to bring the Protect America’s Workforce Act to a vote. This critical bill would overturn Trump’s union-busting executive order and restore collective bargaining rights to all federal workers. A discharge petition would allow the bill to bypass committees and bring a bill directly to the floor for a vote.
What union leaders should do: All locals at agencies that have terminated our contracts must transition to virtual offices since they will be losing their union office space. Click here for a step-by-step guide.
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