The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), seeking to end collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that it claims hinder national security operations.
The lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Texas on behalf of eight federal agencies, follows an executive order issued by President Trump titled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs. The order asserts that certain agencies engaged in investigative and national security work should not be required to engage in collective bargaining, citing potential risks to government operations.
According to the DOJ, existing CBAs prevent federal agencies from fully implementing workforce policies necessary for their national security missions. The lawsuit aims to confirm the agencies’ legal right to terminate these agreements, avoiding what the DOJ describes as “unnecessary labor strife” while ensuring clarity on the issue.
“We are taking this fight directly to the public-sector unions,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “By affirmatively suing in Texas, we are aggressively protecting President Trump’s efforts to ensure unions no longer interfere in the national security functions of the government.”
The lawsuit argues that collective bargaining agreements have created bureaucratic obstacles that hinder federal agencies’ ability to manage employees performing critical national security, intelligence, and investigative work. It further states that the President “cannot effectively execute the laws or promote national security if his supervision of agents engaged in national security, intelligence, counterintelligence, or investigative missions is stymied by intrusive bargaining agreements and continuous bargaining obligations.”
The case marks a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to limit the influence of federal employee unions, setting the stage for a legal battle over the intersection of labor rights and national security concerns.
By: DNU staff