“Straight out of Project 2025, this executive order is the very definition of union-busting. It strips the fundamental right to unionize and collectively bargain from workers across the federal government at more than 30 agencies. The workers who make sure our food is safe to eat, care for our veterans, protect us from public health emergencies, and much more, will no longer have a voice on the job or the ability to organize with their coworkers for better conditions at work so they can efficiently provide the services the public relies upon. It’s clear that this order is punishment for unions who are leading the fight against the administration’s illegal actions in court—and a blatant attempt to silence us.”
Kelley Everett, the President of AFGE, which represents over 820,000 federal workers released the following statement:
“President Trump’s latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants—nearly one-third of whom are veterans—simply because they are members of a union that stands up to his harmful policies.
“This administration’s bullying tactics represent a clear threat not just to federal employees and their unions, but to every American who values democracy and the freedoms of speech and association. Trump’s threat to unions and working people across America is clear: fall in line or else.
“These threats will not work. Americans will not be intimidated or silenced. AFGE isn’t going anywhere. Our members have bravely served this nation, often putting themselves in harm’s way, and they deserve far better than this blatant attempt at political punishment.”
To read the full statement and important facts on collective bargaining, click here.
The complaint was filed by Democracy Forward in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of Easthampton School District, Somerville Public School Committee, AFT – Massachusetts, AFT, AFSCME Council 93, American Association of University Professors and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“The Department of Education, and the laws it is supposed to execute, has one major purpose: to fill opportunity gaps to help every child in America succeed,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a statement. “That’s what the ‘equal access’ provided for in the statute means. And over the last five decades, Congress has fulfilled this mission to help poor kids, kids with disabilities, first generation college kids, kids who want to work in a trade, and 45 million Americans with student debt. Now, wielding a sledgehammer, this president is destroying that promise for this and future generations,” she concluded.
The Department of Ed is responsible not only for providing necessary funding for public schools to support students with disabilities, but to providing support and assistance to parents and families, protecting students’ civil rights, ensuring that the cost of quality education is accessible and affordable for students. The value of the employees who carry out these essential functions cannot be understated.
In another attack on the protections put in place for workers, DOGE targeted FMCS, as almost all staff members were placed on administrative leave with the expectation they would soon be laid off. Originally, the agency employed around 200 employees, the FMCS is now reduced to just 15 employees, as reported by Government Executive.
In the aftermath of President Trump’s Executive Order that ordered the FMCS to “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law,” FMCS has shut down several key operations.
In a statement, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called the decision by the Trump administration “a destructive move for workers, businesses, and the economy as a whole.”
“Shuttering FMCS means longer and drawn-out contract negotiations; delays in implementing new union contracts that raise wages and improve benefits; and disruption to the economy from strikes and lockouts that keep experienced, skilled employees from doing their jobs,” she concluded.
In addition, HHS’s divisions which are essential to overseeing medical care, food and drugs, have been reduced from 28 to 15. As concerns increase among health officials on the outbreaks of bird flu, and measles, cuts to the department could result in very real threats to public safety. The cuts include reductions to the Center for Disease Control which oversees health issues such as H.I.V./AIDS, tobacco control, maternal health and the distribution of vaccines for children, and the Food and Drug Administration which approves and oversees medications and food, as well as the National Institute of Health will lose 1,200 staff members, and the agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid is expected to lose 300.
From his very first days serving in his second term, President Trump’s attacks on our labor movement have been brutal and unrelenting, as he continues to indiscriminately fire our union brothers and sisters not only eradicating our fundamental rights to collective bargaining but to unionizing. During these unprecedented times, solidarity is the only choice. As President Trump’s attacks continue, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO remains committed to fighting these ongoing attacks. To view each of our Weekly Guides to President Trump’s Anti-Labor Activity, click here.