Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, LABOR NEWS—President eliminates collective bargaining for additional agencies, (Sep 2, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:American Federation of Government Employees | Bureau of Reclamation | International Trade Administration | National Weather Service | U.S. Army
By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.
"President Trump’s decision to issue a Labor Day proclamation shortly after stripping union rights from thousands of civil servants, a third of whom are veterans,” said AFGE National President Kelley, “should show American workers what he really thinks about them.”
Last week, President Trump issued another executive order regarding exclusions from the Federal Labor-Management Relations Program. The new order, titled “Further Exclusions from the Federal Labor-Management Relations Program,” adds to the list of exclusions included in Executive Order 14251 of March 27, 2025 (90 Fed. Reg. 14553), which is currently undergoing several court challenges.
NWS and USAGM. Now included in the list of agencies or subdivisions that purportedly “have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work” are NASA; the U.S. Agency for Global Media; the National Weather Service; National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service; the International Trade Administration; the Office of the Commissioner for Patents and subordinate units, Patent and Trademark Office; and “Units in the Bureau of Reclamation with primary responsibility for operating, managing, or maintaining hydropower facilities.”
Explanations. In an accompanying fact sheet, the White House sets out to explain these inclusions. Regarding USAGM, for example, the fact sheet states: “USAGM is an arm of U.S. public diplomacy; supporting U.S. national security is one of its key functions.” Regarding the National Weather Service (NWS), it states “NWS was first established as a subdivision of the U.S. Army Signal Service Corps. Today NWS and NESDIS provide weather and climate data that inform the weather forecasting used to plan U.S. military deployments. Weather forecasts have long been critical factor in the success or failure of military operations.”
Adds to list started by prior order. The March EO included, among others, the Department of State, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Between the time of the first and second EOs, other agencies have moved to eliminate union representation for employees, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
AFGE responds. Regarding the latest order, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley said this: "President Trump’s decision to issue a Labor Day proclamation shortly after stripping union rights from thousands of civil servants, a third of whom are veterans, should show American workers what he really thinks about them.”
Kelley added: “Several agencies including NASA and the National Weather Service have already been hollowed out by reckless DOGE cuts, so for the administration to further disenfranchise the remaining workers in the name of ‘efficiency’ is immoral and abhorrent.”
News: LaborNews WhiteHouseNews Labor AgencyNews PublicEmployees GCNNews