President Trump’s Attacks:
A Weekly Guide to President Trump’s Anti-Labor Activity
March 10-17
President Trump Cancels Three Executive Orders Concerning PLAs, Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors, and Apprenticeships Impacting Millions of Workers
Proving that he has no concern for working families’ quality of life, on Friday, President Trump rescinded executive orders concerning registered apprenticeships, project labor agreements, and the $15 minimum wage for federal contractors. These orders put in place under the Biden administration, ensured fair wages, safe workplaces, and increased opportunities for apprenticeships, as reported by onlabor and Bloomberg. The cancellation of these orders is bound to impact millions of workers across the country.
Before the wage order was cancelled by President Trump, the minimum wage for federal contractors was $17.75, a wage increase that reflected inflation rates, allowing millions of workers to earn fair wages.
Supporting federal contract and grant applicants that voluntarily recognized unions, had project labor agreements, or had signed union neutrality agreements, the “Good Jobs” executive order expanded worker’s protections.
The order also encouraged employers to offer child care, paid leave, job training, and registered apprenticeships. The executive order known as EO 14119 also prioritized apprenticeship program participants.
In a statement, IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams, Jr., said, “President Trump rolled back critical protections for workers, including Executive Orders aimed at registered apprenticeships, project labor agreements, and the $15 minimum wage for federal contractors. The hardworking men and women of this country deserve to have safer working conditions, higher wages, and every opportunity to build a better life for their families and communities.”
NLRB Board Member, Gwynne Wilcox Reinstated
In the case of President Trump’s attacks on the NLRB, the president’s actions were not only a direct attack on unions; they were also in direct violation of the law.
In January, President Trump fired NLRB board member Gwynne Wilcox, effectively shutting down the NLRB, by leaving the board with only two members, one short of a quorum. Directly affecting union members, this action brought the NLRB’s ability to issue decisions on policies impacting unions and their members to a sudden halt.
Last week, according to Reuters, a federal judge, Beryl Howell, ruled the president had acted illegally in firing Wilcox. As stated in the National Labor Relations Act, board members can only be removed “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause.”
As stated by judge Howell, a president is not above the law.
“An American president is not a king,” she stated in her court ruling.
President Trump Ordered to Reinstate Thousands of Fired Federal Workers
A blow to President Trump and unelected billionaire Elon Musk, and a victory for working people, federal judges in California and Maryland on Thursday ordered President Trump to reinstate thousands of probationary federal workers who lost their jobs as part of mass firings carried out at 19 agencies, as reported by Reuters.
U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore agreed, with 20 Democratic-led states that 18 of the agencies that had fired thousands of probationary employees had violated regulations governing the laying off of federal workers.
The departments protected by the order include U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury and Veterans Affairs.
The True Cost of the Trump Administration and DOGE Attacks
From the very beginning, the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency have indiscriminately fired workers, impacting workers in almost every sector of the labor movement. Not only have thousands of workers lost their jobs, but working families’ ability to access vital government services is becoming increasingly difficult.
The Department of Education
The Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, announced in a statement by the Department of Education a reduction in 50% of its workforce, citing an interest in prioritizing the needs of “students, parents, and teachers.” This contradictory statement masks the true impact of these reductions on working families and couldn’t be farther from the truth. Rather than supporting students, parents and teachers, the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the Department of Education, and gut the federal funding of public schools, would result in devasting consequences for everyone who relies on quality, public education, and cause decreased support for students with special needs. Working families’ ability to send their children to college would also be jeopardized, as 180,000 students in New Jersey with exceptional financial need rely on Pell Grants in order to attend higher education.
The continued attacks on our public schools by President Trump represent a very real threat to our democracy. Quality public education ensures that regardless of socioeconomic status and background, children of working families have the opportunity to actively participate in society and to be informed citizens.
“Ten million students who rely on financial aid to go to college or pursue a trade will be left in limbo. States and districts will be forced to navigate funding crises without federal support, hurting millions of students with disabilities and students living in poverty,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a statement.
The Jobs of Workers Who Perform Essential Weather Forecasts are on the Line
Tasked with warning the public on the imminent danger of extreme weather forecasts from hurricanes to tsunamis and ensuring flight safety, National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) workers perform essential lifesaving functions. However, the recent layoffs that eliminated about 5% of the workforce at NOAA could compromise NOAA’s contributions to public safety, at a time when the danger of climate disasters is higher than ever.
According to Forbes, the Trump administration directed NOAA to lay off approximately 1,000 workers on top of 1,300 workers that have already been laid off. As of now, it remains unclear how many union members in the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO) have lost their jobs.
In an interview with NBC 5 Investigates, JoAnn Becker, the president of the NWSEO, said the layoffs could prevent the already stretched thin organization to adequately staff the weather service offices that issue lifesaving storm alerts.
“We want to try and meet the mission; physically we cannot because we don’t have enough people,” said President Becker.
According to NWSEO, the number of vacancies at NOAA was at least 700 before the most recent cuts. In addition to the dangers of critical positions left vacant, the vacancies will result in workers taking on significant overtime hours to cover empty positions that require 24/7 surveillance.
Layoffs in the Department of Veterans Affairs Threaten Veterans Access to Care
President Trump’s disrespect of the individuals who have selflessly served their country is represented not only through his derogatory statements about veterans, but through his actions. As the Department of Government Efficiency is preparing to target the Department of Veteran Affairs, over 80,000 workers at the Department of Veteran Affairs are at risk of losing their jobs, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. Providing services such as healthcare, the VA supports over a million veterans and their families assisting them with Healthcare, Disability Compensation, Education and Training, and Home Loans.
According to the VA’s chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, the department plans to reduce staff to staffing levels of just under 400,000, resulting in the termination of tens of thousands of employees.
The AFL-CIO has over 1 million working union veterans within its affiliated unions, and many of the workers at the VA are members of AFGE.
“Until Elon Musk and Donald Trump came on the scene, America never turned its back on our veterans and their families. Their reckless plan to wipe out the VA’s ability to deliver on America’s promise to veterans will backfire on millions of veterans and their families who risked their lives in service for our country,” said AFGE President Kelley Everett in a statement.