President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order to end collective bargaining with Federal unions in several agencies with national security missions as he overhauls the federal government working according to his policies.
The White House says Trump has taken the step using authority granted by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA).
“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 President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security,” the White House said.
The White House says Law Enforcement will remain unaffected and Police and firefighters will continue to collectively bargain.
A fact sheet said certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump’s agenda.
Unions have outrightly opposed the move, and plan to challenge the executive order.
The American Federation of Government Employees, a representative body of more than 800,000 workers, has called the order an “attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants.”
National President of the Federation Everett Kelley says 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.”
Kelley said the AFGE is preparing “immediate legal action” and will fight relentlessly to “protect our rights, our members, and all working Americans from these unprecedented attacks.”
But the White House said the largest Federal union describes itself as “fighting back” against Trump. It is widely filing grievances to block Trump policies.”
For example, the fact sheet said, VA’s unions have filed 70 national and local grievances over President Trump’s policies since the inauguration—an average of over one a day.
“Protecting America’s national security is a core constitutional duty, and President Trump refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect Americans and our national interests,” the White House said.
“President Trump supports constructive partnerships with unions who work with him; he will not tolerate mass obstruction that jeopardizes his ability to manage agencies with vital national security missions.”
The agencies covered by the order include National Defense. Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership components, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Executive Office of Immigration Review, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition, U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, and U.S. International Trade Commission, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Interior units that govern domestic energy production, and many others are included in the list.
