Judge Blocks Trump’s Order, Federal Workers’ Unions Celebrate Big Win!

Labor unions for federal employees were elated on Friday following a decision by a U.S. district judge to halt President Donald Trump’s March executive order, which sought to curtail collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), under the leadership of national president Doreen Greenwald, promptly challenged the order. Greenwald described the move as “an attempt to mute the voice of our nation’s public servants,” leading to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Judge Paul Friedman, who was nominated by former President Bill Clinton, issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, stopping the enforcement of the executive order (EO), which allegedly aimed to limit workers’ rights under the pretext of national security.

CNN covered the events, noting that during a hearing on Wednesday, Friedman scrutinized “Trump’s rationale behind the order” and “the claim by the administration that certain agencies mainly focus on national security, including the National Institutes of Health, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Agriculture.”

Further insights on the hearing were reported by Politico, stating:

Lawyers for the NTEU pointed out that following the issuance of the EO, the Trump administration promptly filed lawsuits against an NTEU-affiliated union in Kentucky and Texas—regions where courts are predominantly staffed by Republican appointees.

After Wednesday’s session with Judge Friedman, another judge, U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves in Kentucky, rejected a plea from a local NTEU chapter to delay oral arguments scheduled for Friday. Reeves, appointed by President George W. Bush, will have rulings that might influence the NTEU’s ongoing lawsuit with Friedman.

Despite these challenges, the NTEU celebrated Friedman’s decision on Friday to block what it labeled as an “anti-union, anti-federal employee executive order,” while also bracing for a likely appeal from the Trump administration.

“Today’s court order is a victory for federal employees, their union rights, and the American people they serve,” Greenwald affirmed. “The preliminary injunction granted upon our request ensures that federal employees’ collective bargaining rights are preserved and the administration’s unlawful push to silence federal employees and dismantle unions is obstructed.”

“NTEU will persist in leveraging every available tool to defend federal employees and the essential services they provide against these aggressive assaults on their positions, their agencies, and their legal rights to unionize,” she committed.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union of federal workers, also celebrated the decision.

“AFGE congratulates our union colleagues at NTEU for their significant win in the D.C. District Court today,” remarked national president Everett Kelley. “This judgment is a crucial step toward reinstating the collective bargaining rights that federal employees are legally entitled to.”

Kelley also mentioned that “AFGE is eager to present our case against this illegal executive order in federal court. We are optimistic that our combined efforts will achieve the comprehensive relief that federal employees merit—and will clearly demonstrate that no administration is exempt from the law.”