The Trump Administration’s attack on workers’ rights and workers’ unions intensifies. It has unilaterally, illegally ended collective bargaining for million federal workers while at the same time eviscerating federal agencies that serve a multitude of Americans by firing tens of thousands of public servants, including many veterans.
The Administration numbers among its top officials many avowed anti-union activists. The Trump Administration attempted to weaken the National Labor Relations Board by unlawfully firing Gwynne Wilcox, its acting chair, and by filling key posts with anti-union, corporate allies. Fortunately, the courts intervened and reinstated Wilcox, stating her firing had been illegal. Nevertheless, the Administration’s other anti-union, anti-worker practices continue unabated.
Trump’s disdain for workers is evident in his appointment of Elon Musk to leadership of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency which is dismantling the vital processes of the government. Musk himself is an avowed anti-union CEO in conflict with workers he employs here and abroad.
The administration is providing a model for Republican-controlled state legislatures and Republican governors to act in a similar fashion. In Utah, the governor signed a bill in February that banned public employee unions from collective bargaining.
These actions taken at the federal and state levels are precursors to attacks on private sector unions and union rights such as strikes, boycotts and demonstrations. Under the guise of phony national security non-issues, the Trump Administration is abridging free speech rights, the right to assembly, and the right to protest. If these rights can be abrogated in one context, they are safe in no other.
In 2017, the White House press secretary said, “The president believes in right to work.” His policies prove that his anti-worker, anti-union-bias remains strong. Similarly, the president last month issued an Executive Order weakening project labor agreements that include collective bargaining rights on federally funded construction projects.
Union members who expected Trump to rise above his publicly stated objections to unions can clearly see that he has increased his opposition. Using divide-and-conquer tactics, the Trump Administration has gone after federal employee unions first. Other unions will surely find themselves targeted next.
