Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from canceling collective bargaining rights for most federal employees

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from canceling collective bargaining rights for most federal employees

A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration's executive order, which aimed to strip hundreds of thousands of federal employees of their collective bargaining rights. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, issued the injunction pending the outcome of a lawsuit by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

The executive order, signed by President Trump in March, sought to exempt more than a dozen federal agencies from collective bargaining obligations. The order, citing national security concerns, argued that unions like the NTEU had "declared war" on Trump's agenda and that the Republican president "will not tolerate mass obstruction." The order targeted agencies including the Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services departments, affecting about 75% of the roughly 1 million federal workers represented by unions [1].

Judge Friedman's ruling temporarily halts the implementation of the executive order, which would have significantly expanded an existing exception from collective bargaining for workers with duties affecting national security. The injunction comes as the NTEU argues that none of the agencies covered by the order are primarily involved in intelligence or national security work, and that Trump's primary motivation was to punish federal-sector unions that have opposed his policies [1].

The NTEU, which represents about 160,000 federal employees, has also cited financial losses due to the order. The union is losing $2 million a month in dues that agencies are no longer deducting from workers' paychecks [1].

This ruling is significant for federal workers and their unions, who have long advocated for collective bargaining rights. It also highlights ongoing legal challenges to the Trump administration's policies aimed at downsizing the federal workforce. The case is NTEU v. Trump, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:25-cv-935.

References:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-questions-trumps-motives-curbing-union-bargaining-by-federal-workers-2025-04-23/