Trump Signs Order Ending Federal Union Bargaining

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to end collective bargaining for federal labor unions in numerous government agencies, citing national security concerns under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The order affects a significant portion of the federal workforce, including agencies such as Defense, State, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security, but exempts police and firefighters. Union leaders, including those from the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, have condemned the action as a retaliatory attack on workers' rights and are preparing to take legal action. The administration claims the move is necessary to ensure responsive and efficient national security operations, though critics argue it's a strategy to undermine union influence. This order builds on past efforts by the Trump administration to curb union powers and reshape the federal workforce. The unions plan to fight the order in court, highlighting the impacts on nearly one-third of federal employees who are veterans and stressing the order's potential to strip essential worker protections.