The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit claiming that numerous labor contracts between federal agencies and unions are invalid, arguing that they hinder his efforts to overhaul the federal workforce and safeguard national security. In a federal court in Waco, Texas, late Thursday, the departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and four other agencies challenged the validity of these contracts. They sought a ruling that would allow them to cancel existing agreements, citing an executive order issued by Trump earlier in the day, which excluded certain agencies from collective bargaining requirements.
The lawsuit targets the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, and its local affiliates. These unions represent thousands of workers across military bases, veterans’ hospitals, and other federal facilities, particularly in Texas.
The agencies argued that the collective bargaining agreements made by the Biden administration with the AFGE before Trump’s presidency were designed to prevent mass firings of federal employees and obstruct other Trump priorities. They claimed these contracts hinder efforts to hold federal workers accountable and allow employees to continue working remotely, with decision-making delegated to private arbitrators. This, they argue, limits the president and agency leaders’ ability to address poor performance swiftly.
AFGE President Everett Kelley condemned Trump’s executive order, calling it a “disgraceful and retaliatory attack” on public employees’ rights based solely on union membership. Kelley announced that the union would pursue legal action in response to the order.
The union has previously filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration, including challenges related to the mass firing of newly-hired federal workers and the stripping of collective bargaining rights for Transportation Security Administration officers.
The lawsuit reflects ongoing tensions between the Trump administration’s attempts to reduce the size of the federal workforce and the union’s efforts to protect its members from mass layoffs and unfavorable working conditions.
About 30% of federal workers are unionized, and existing contracts complicate efforts to change their conditions or terminate employees.
Trump’s executive order exempts certain agencies, including those with national security functions, from collective bargaining agreements, further intensifying the legal and political battle over federal workforce reforms.
