New York, NY – United States federal judge, James Donato,  granted an injunction after ruling that the administration of President Donald Trump is ‘likely to have violated the law’ by stripping nearly a million federal government employees of their union rights.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said: “‘In March, President Trump committed the single biggest act of union-busting in history, stripping nearly 1 million federal workers of their right to collectively bargain and have a voice on the job.”

Six unions filed a lawsuit in April in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, challenging Trump’s executive order that removed collective bargaining rights from about one million federal employees.Trump cited national security as the reason for the executive action

The six unions  led by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), argued  that the executive order was unconstitutional. Trumps action was meant to punish unions for engaging in activity protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, including vocal opposition and legal challenges to the administration. The Trump administration violated the Fifth Amendment when it voided collective bargaining agreements. In addition, the employees  primary functions were unrelated to national security.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley said: ‘Federal employees have had the right to join a union and bargain collectively for decades, including during President Trump’s first term, and at no time have employees’ union rights caused concern for our nation’s national security.
‘Revoking these rights was clearly a retaliatory attempt to bust federal unions and wreak havoc on our nation’s workforce and the services they provide to the American people.’

AFSCME President Lee Saunders said: ‘This executive order is a direct effort to silence federal workers’ voice on the job – an essential freedom that helps maintain the integrity of our democracy.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Association of Government Employees (NAGE-SEIU), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), National Nurses United (NNU), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

SEIU President April Verrett said: ‘The President’s unlawful executive order attacking federal unions is not an attack on a million federal workers, but is a direct attack on all workers who seek a collective voice to bargain for a better future. ‘The labour movement stands in solidarity, and we will not let this administration’s union-busting tactics silence us.’

The US District Court restored the  workers while the litigation continues. The right of federal employees to join a union is protected by the Constitution and has been supported by Presidents of both parties for decades.

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