Unions
Labor Department rehires removed probationary workers
DOL’s decision comes after fired probationary employees were ordered back to work at the Agriculture Department.
Trump administration outlaws unions at TSA
The Homeland Security Department on Friday misrepresented the proportion of union officials performing representational work at the agency and claimed ousting labor organizations would make the agency “more agile.”
NTEU leaders vow to fight amid IRS return-to-office mandate
Internal Revenue Service employees have just one week to prepare for the end of telework at the agency, as management disregards union contract provisions governing the workplace flexibility.
Unions call on senators to ‘defund’ Trump’s workforce purges
A group comprised of 15 federal employee unions urged leaders on the Senate Appropriations Committee to issue a two-year moratorium on reductions in force as part of legislation to fund the government past March 14.
Defense Department police officers can’t get proper credentials nearly 2 years after Congress required them
An officer said they’ve run into issues questioning witnesses, registering for trainings and purchasing necessary equipment because they can’t easily prove they’re a federal law enforcement officer.
Judge denies federal unions’ request to block mass probationary firings
The federal judge said in a preliminary ruling that the National Treasury Employees Union likely must first bring their challenge to the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
Social Security offers 40 probationary feds reassignments to avert blanket firings
Around 40 Social Security Administration employees were given eight hours—or until 4:30 p.m. Thursday—to decide whether to accept reassignments to a field or hearing office, teleservice center or payment center and avoid being swept up in the Trump administration’s purge of the federal workforce.
Despite forcing more federal employees to work in-person, the Trump administration is trying to slash government office space
The Biden administration also sought to shrink the federal real estate portfolio.
Social Security to close hearing office in New York
The decision to shutter the busy White Plains Office of Hearings Operations when its lease expires in May comes amid Elon Musk’s effort to cancel thousands of government leases.
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Federal judge clears way for 'deferred resignations'
U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. found that unions must first adjudicate their claims before the Merit Systems Protection Board or Federal Labor Relations Authority before suing in court.
EPA orders most workers back within weeks, breaking union covenants
The Office of Personnel Management previously issued guidance purporting to grant agencies the authority to disregard telework provisions in union contracts based on a blanket assertion of ‘management rights.’
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Trump apparently fires FLRA chairwoman
Susan Tsui Grundmann’s term at the agency that oversees federal sector labor disputes was not set to end until July.
Federal employee union celebrates early wins against Trump but preparing for the long haul
Since Trump’s election, the American Federation of Government Employees has achieved record-breaking membership.
OPM claims agencies can ignore union telework contracts
A new memo instructing agencies to cease enforcing union-negotiated telework policies under the guise of “management rights” could portend future assaults on collective bargaining.
Trump signs memo that claims to cancel late Biden-era union contracts
Although the president railed against collective bargaining agreements signed at the Social Security Administration and the Education Department shortly before his inauguration, it’s unlikely any of those deals will be upended by the measure.
House Oversight Republicans open Congress with rants against telework, unions
The first hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was ostensibly about telework yet frequently devolved into anti-union rhetoric.
Federal employee unions dismayed—but not surprised—by sudden shutdown threat
President-elect Trump and Elon Musk on Wednesday blew up a bipartisan deal to fund the government past this week, increasing the odds of a government shutdown Saturday.
Will civil service protections hold up against RFK Jr.’s threats to the federal public health workforce?
Kennedy, Trump’s pick to lead HHS, has talked openly about removing swaths of civil servants at FDA and NIH.
Immigration judges seek renewed union recognition
In a controversial November 2020 decision, the Federal Labor Relations Authority overruled its regional director and decertified the National Association of Immigration Judges.
Federal employees could be more easily removed under new House bill
Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s, R-Ga., MERIT Act proposes radical civil service reforms, including repealing statutes governing unacceptable performance actions, ending union grievances based on adverse personnel actions and prohibiting furlough appeals.
