Federal employees union says Trump administration stripping away workers’ rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) — The largest union of federal government employees said it is under attack by the Trump administration.
Hundreds gathered to rally in Washington Tuesday, saying their right to a fair and safe workplace is at risk, and that federal workers across the country could suffer.
“The Trump administration is assaulting our collective bargaining rights,” said J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
Cox said those rights are protected by laws.
“This president is choosing to ignore them and change them through executive orders,” he said.
Union leaders said the president also wants to strip them of other rights, like having a union representative at each worksite, and the right to file grievances over wrongful termination.
“People are refusing to settle for less,” said Richard Trumpka, president of the AFL-CIO. “We’re demanding a fair shot and a fair shake.”
Any changes by the administration could impact around 700,000 federal employees represented by the union.
The Department of Labor refused a request for comment for this story.
“This betrayal of workers by this president is, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
Brown worries about the number of people in his state who would feel the impact of any changes.
“It’s workers’ turn finally to get compensated in the way that you’ve earned,” he said.
AFGE is currently suing the administration over several of its executive actions.