(The Guardian) The Trump administration is seeking to strip collective bargaining rights from large swaths of federal employees in a test case union leaders argue is part of a broader attack on US labor unions that could land before the US Supreme Court.
A Trump win would deliver a severe blow to labor unions in the US. Some 29.9% of all federal workers were represented by labor unions in 2024 compared to 11.1% for all US workers.
On 27 March, Donald Trump issued an executive order, citing national security, to exempt collective bargaining at several federal departments for more than 1 million workers.
The order was made in tandem with lawsuits filed by the Trump administration against federal unions, including against affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in a Texas court where only one judge, a conservative, presides over the court, and the National Treasury Employees Union chapter 73 in a Kentucky court.
Last week, unions filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits, and have filed their own lawsuits against Trump’s executive order. Bipartisan legislation has also been introduced in the House to restore collective bargaining rights for targeted federal workers.
Rushab Sanghvi, AFGE general counsel, expects a decision in their lawsuit against the administration next month. But he expects the four cases are likely to end up in the supreme court.
www.theguardian.com
A Trump win would deliver a severe blow to labor unions in the US. Some 29.9% of all federal workers were represented by labor unions in 2024 compared to 11.1% for all US workers.
On 27 March, Donald Trump issued an executive order, citing national security, to exempt collective bargaining at several federal departments for more than 1 million workers.
The order was made in tandem with lawsuits filed by the Trump administration against federal unions, including against affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in a Texas court where only one judge, a conservative, presides over the court, and the National Treasury Employees Union chapter 73 in a Kentucky court.
Last week, unions filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits, and have filed their own lawsuits against Trump’s executive order. Bipartisan legislation has also been introduced in the House to restore collective bargaining rights for targeted federal workers.
Rushab Sanghvi, AFGE general counsel, expects a decision in their lawsuit against the administration next month. But he expects the four cases are likely to end up in the supreme court.
Trump’s attack on federal unions a ‘test case’ for broader assault, warn lawyers
Executive order cites national security to strip bargaining rights from more than 1 million federal workers
www.theguardian.com
