‘He’s not going to bargain’: Judge blocks Trump’s order gutting federal unions

A federal judge has temporarily stopped a Trump administration executive order that would have taken away collective bargaining rights from a large number of federal workers. The judge’s order, which was issued after a lawsuit by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), blocks the executive order from going into effect until the legal case is settled.

As reported by CNN, the executive order would have applied to about 75% of unionized federal employees, leaving out only agencies that were considered to have mainly national security responsibilities.

The order would have affected major federal agencies, including the Justice Department, State Department, Defense Department, Treasury Department, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services, among others. The NTEU also pointed out that the order would cause serious financial harm, estimating that unions would lose about $2 million per month in dues because payroll deductions for union fees would stop.

Judge halts Trump’s directive on federal employee unions

The NTEU, which represents about 160,000 federal workers (per Reuters), claimed in its lawsuit that the President’s order broke existing federal labor laws and constitutional rights. The union argued that the order was not a proper use of presidential power but instead was meant to punish unions that had previously fought against Trump administration policies in court.

The judge appeared to agree with this argument, pointing out that White House statements had shown the order had two main goals: making it easier to fire employees and punishing unions that had opposed the President’s policies. The judge’s decision was influenced by his observation that the President did not want to negotiate with those who had challenged him.

The Trump administration defended the order by saying it was necessary for national security, arguing that collective bargaining agreements could slow down important policy changes.

The judge questioned whether the agencies listed in the order were truly focused on national security or intelligence work. The judge said, “He’s willing to be kind to those that work with him. Those that have sued him, those that have filed grievances, those that have complained against him, he’s not going to bargain with. How else can you read what he’s done?”

The White House reacted to the judge’s decision by calling it ridiculous and quickly stated that it would appeal. The administration continued to argue that collective bargaining could get in the way of quickly carrying out national security measures.