Worker Policy Watch
Your source for accurate and reliable information on how federal policies are shaping workers’ rights—and what’s at stake for working people nationwide under the Trump administration.
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Trump Ends Union Dues Collection for Most Federal Workers
The Trump administration has stopped collecting federal workers’ union dues at the federal agencies targeted by a recent executive order to strip workers of collective bargaining rights.
Impact:
Without notice to unions or federal workers, the government’s three main payroll processors have all stopped collecting union dues directly from workers’ paychecks. This comes after Trump’s executive order seeking to end collective bargaining rights for federal workers. The administration has also filed several lawsuits in federal court aimed at ending federal workforce union contracts at agencies targeted by the executive order.
Trump Sues to End Union Contracts for Federal Workers
The Trump administrations filed a lawsuit against the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to invalidate existing collective bargaining agreements between workers and federal agencies.
Impact:
The lawsuit comes after Trump’s executive order attempts to revoke collective bargaining rights for most of the federal workforce. Trump is asking U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, a Trump appointee, to reinterpret federal law that would allow federal agencies to rescind labor contracts. Around 32 percent of public sector workers are members of unions, which is more than five times the rate of private sector employees.
Trump Signs an Executive Order Ending Collective Bargaining at Federal Agencies he Claims are Involved in National Security
The EO ends collective bargaining at a wide swath of agencies and sub-agencies that have functions that have nothing to do with national security including HHS, the Department of Commerce, and Veterans' Affairs. However, the U.S. Customs and Border Control agents' union is NOT covered by this order, likely because the union endorsed Trump for President, nor are agency police officers, security guards, or firefighters.
Impact:
Unions have been leading the resistance efforts to this administration's illegal actions with regard to public servants and workers at large. This latest attack, right out of the Project 2025 playbook, is retaliation for their successes thus far in the federal courts, and is trying to take away federal public servants' legal rights to collectively bargain with their agencies.
The Department of Homeland Security declared that it is ending the collective bargaining agreements it has with the Transportation Safety Administration, attempting to gut worker protections for TSA union members
The CBAs provide for good pay, benefits, and due process in the case of discipline or discharge. Recent improvements in the pay and benefits have been credited with improving the morale and retention of TSA employees.
Impact:
If this order stands, it would void the union rights and terms of the CBAs for approximately 47,000 workers.