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By Aliss Higham
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President Donald Trump has widened his effort to dismantle federal labor agreements, signing a new executive order on Thursday that adds several agencies to the growing list of departments where collective bargaining rights are being suspended.
Why It Matters
The move extends a March 27 order in which Trump relied on a provision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, granting presidents the authority to halt collective bargaining when deemed necessary for national security.
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If implemented by the agencies, union covered federal workers would lose the protections typically guaranteed under collective bargaining agreements, such as access to neutral arbitration for workplace disputes and official time for union representatives to carry out negotiations and casework.
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What To Know
The latest order applies to a range of agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service within NOAA, the Bureau of Reclamation's hydropower program, and the Patent and Trademark Office's commissioner of patents office.
"President Trump is taking action to ensure that agencies vital to national security can execute their missions without delay and protect the American people," the White House said in a statement. "The President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security."
Union leaders, however, sharply criticized the decision. American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley said the timing, coming just after Trump's Labor Day proclamation, "should show American workers what he really thinks about them."
Kelley said in an email to Newsweek: "This latest executive order is another clear example of retaliation against federal employee union members who have bravely stood up against his anti-worker, anti-American plan to dismantle the federal government. Several agencies including NASA and the National Weather Service have already been hollowed out by reckless DOGE cuts, so for the administration to further disenfranchise the remaining workers in the name of 'efficiency' is immoral and abhorrent.
"AFGE is preparing an immediate response and will continue to fight relentlessly to protect the rights of our members, federal employees and their union."
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) President Liz Shuler said in a press release: "Issuing these executive orders just days before the holiday that honors everything working people have fought and died for—including our right to come together with our co-workers in a union and bargain for what we deserve—shows us that this administration's callous disregard for workers' rights knows no bounds."
Agencies Impacted By Union Contract Cancellations
The action follows a similar step at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which last week confirmed it had removed collective bargaining rights for the majority of its workforce. The change reduced the number of union-eligible employees from about 375,000 to roughly 7,000, with the administration saying it is redirecting union-related funds toward veteran care.
Union officials and veterans' advocates warned that the rollback could undermine the quality of services provided to veterans.
Union contracts at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture have also recently been terminated.
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