Exclusive: Dem senators condemn Trump's order against federal unions
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Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen authored the letter to President Trump. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Democratic senators on Wednesday called President Trump's executive order aiming to curtail federal unions a "gross overreach."
Why it matters: Trump's order impacts over a million civil servants, including a third who are veterans. It reclassifies them as workers assigned to national security matters in order to exclude them from labor protections.
What they're saying: "The national security exemption has existed for nearly 50 years and has been used only sparingly by Republican and Democratic Administrations," says a letter to Trump, signed by all 45 Democratic senators and two independents, Bernie Sanders and Angus King.
- "This order is an insult to the hardworking public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people," they write.
Catch up quick: Trump's executive order from last Thursday says it ends collective bargaining with federal unions for the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, ICE, State Department, USAID, an immigration review office that's part of the Justice Department, and more.
- It includes the EPA, labeling its employees as working on "energy security."
Zoom in: "When you designate the entire Environmental Protection Agency as an agency where you cannot have a union for national security purposes, it shows what a sham this is," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who wrote the letter, told Axios.
- "It's just a pretext for stripping federal employees of their rights," he added.
Context: Unlike private sector unions, federal government unions have a narrowly defined role in bargaining over employment conditions.
- They can't negotiate over pay, benefits or hiring/firing decisions. Federal employees also can't go on strike.
What we're watching: The National Treasury Employees union filed suit against the Trump administration in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which the Trump administration says "is widely filing grievances to block Trump policies," is planning an imminent lawsuit as well.
- A White House announcement from last week said that "certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump's agenda."