By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order eliminating collective bargaining rights for federal employees across the government, a move civil rights leaders and union officials say strikes an especially devastating blow to Black workers and the middle class. As the largest single employer in the country—with about 3 million workers—the federal government has historically provided Black Americans with stable jobs, benefits, and a pathway to economic security. Trump’s latest order, coupled with earlier efforts to dismantle diversity and labor protections, threatens to unravel that foundation. “I absolutely think that the attacks on federal workers will have an acute and disproportionate impact on Black federal workers, and that’s because the federal government is highly diverse,” said Jennifer Holmes, deputy director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Since returning to office, Trump has targeted unions and diversity initiatives. He’s rescinded Executive Order 11246, which prohibited discrimination by federal contractors, banned race-conscious military recruitment, and dismantled agency-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The most recent executive order expands Trump’s authority by wiping out collective bargaining protections across the board—allowing agencies to sidestep union contracts, issue layoffs, and enforce return-to-office mandates without negotiation. The Office of Personnel Management has issued guidance enabling agencies to begin implementation immediately. The administration claims the order is necessary to create “a responsive and accountable civil service” and accused unions of waging war on Trump’s agenda.
But unions say the move is aimed at silencing dissent and weakening a federal workforce that’s long been a stronghold for Black employment. The American Federation of Government Employees warned that more than 1 million workers could lose bargaining rights. The National Treasury Employees Union vowed legal action. “This is a brazen attempt by the administration to ensure its reckless assault on vital federal agency services can continue unimpeded,” said NTEU President Doreen Greenwald. The order affects employees at agencies including the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security, as well as the CDC, EPA, FCC, and ICE.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the consequences will be far-reaching. “As a direct result of the Republican assault on the federal workforce, tax refunds, veterans’ benefits, and Social Security checks will be delayed or wrongfully halted,” Jeffries stated. “The freedom to negotiate, join a union, and collectively bargain for a living wage is a central part of achieving the American dream for many in this country. We will defend the right to organize,” he continued. “Republicans are driven by their intense desire to reward Elon Musk and their billionaire donors with a massive tax cut and then stick working-class Americans with the bill. House Democrats will continue to stand with everyday Americans, including our hardworking government employees, and oppose the far-right extreme agenda in Congress and in the Courts.”
