President Trump took action Thursday to end collective bargaining with federal labor unions in agencies with national security missions throughout the federal government, invoking authority granted under a 1978 law.
The order, announced late Thursday, is expected to impact a wide range of federal departments, including State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Justice, Commerce, and the segment of Homeland Security responsible for border security. Police and firefighters will still retain the right to collectively bargain.
Trump cited the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 as granting him the authority to eliminate collective bargaining with federal unions within these agencies due to their involvement in protecting national security.
The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers, announced Thursday night that it is preparing to take immediate legal action in response to the order.
