President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that will end collective bargaining for hundreds of thousands of federal employees involved in national security, according to the White House.
The order targets public sector unions representing workers in agencies with national security missions, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Science Foundation, and the Coast Guard. A White House memo explained that Trump was granted the authority to restrict union activity for national security purposes under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. “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 memo said. “The President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security.”
Other agencies affected include immigration bodies such as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Departments with an international focus—including the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the International Trade Commission—will also see their collective bargaining rights terminated.
The memo further names the Energy Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, EPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Food and Drug Administration, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the Treasury Department as entities subject to these changes. The document notes further that 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.”
A separate memo from the Office of Personnel Management, issued after the executive order, directed federal agencies to consult with legal counsel to begin implementing the directive. Needless to say, the order was opposed by federal union officials who threw out baseless claims.
“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,” the union said. “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.”
