Weekly Union Recap June 9, 2025

June 9, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on
Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE kept up our legislative efforts this week on Capitol Hill urging the Senate to follow the House’s lead by introducing a Senate companion bill to the HR 2550, the Keep America’s Workforce Act, which is jointly sponsored by Republican Congressman, Brian Fitzpatrick and his Democratic colleague, Representative Jared Golden. Unfortunately, there has yet to be a Republican in the Senate to step up and offer to co-introduce the bill with Virginia Senator, Mark Warner. As we continue to push for the Senate bill, IFPTE is also moving forward in support of a House discharge petition to bring HR 2550 straight to the House floor, as it has eclipsed over 50% of House support with 222 bipartisan cosponsors. The bill will reverse the Trump Administration’s union busting executive order denying collective bargaining rights to over 1 million federal workers, including thousands of IFPTE-represented workers, while eliminating union payroll dues deduction. IFPTE will continue to keep Locals apprised of the status of the discharge petition and the Senate companion bill.

Meanwhile, the finer details of President Trump’s budget proposal impacting agencies like NASA and NOAA have been released. In what can only be described as an all-out assault on federal investments in science, the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Trump request seeks to slash the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) budget by over 46% and the total NASA budget by 24.4%. In response IFPTE penned a letter to key Congressional appropriators requesting that they ignore the Trump budget request and instead increase NASA’s FY26 science budget to $9 billion, up from $7.3 billion in FY25. IFPTE also asked appropriators to reject the President’s proposed $346 million cut to Aeronautics, the $531 million cut to Space Technology, and a $143 million cut to defund the Office of STEM Engagement in its entirety, while requesting that specific language be included in any NASA funding bill that provides for the continuation of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). More on this issue is in the Recap.

IFPTE also continues to work in coordination with the larger labor movement against the House’s budget reconciliation bill aimed at extending the Trump tax cuts for billionaires and corporations and paying for these cuts by throwing tens of millions of Americans off their healthcare and food assistance. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its score of the bill, finding that if passed in its current form it will add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years and throw 11 million people off of their healthcare due to the $698 billion in Medicaid cuts. The bill also calls on federal workers to ‘voluntarily’ take a 5% pay cut just to avoid working in an ‘at-will’ workplace, and slashes food assistance program funding by $267 billion. For those that are wondering, this is the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” that Speaker Johnson and the House majority continue to falsely claim doesn’t eliminate healthcare and food assistance for millions. While Speaker Johnson and other supporters of the legislation continue to mislead the public, the CBO score tells a completely different story – ‘the numbers don’t lie’. The Senate, for their part, has not accepted the House bill and is said to be working on their own budget reconciliation bill. That is exactly where IFPTE and other Unions are targeting their current legislative efforts. We thank the many IFPTE Locals and members who continue to work on this and will keep you all posted as this legislation moves through the Senate.

On the legal front, this week the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a huge win for the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ/IFPTE Judicial Council 2). The ruling revived a case brought by the NAIJ against the Department of Justice’s ‘gag order’ imposed on Immigration Judges. After the lower court found that the NAIJ had to first go to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) before suing in federal court, the latest Appeals Court decision questioned whether the MSPB and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) were still functional given the Trump Administration’s attacks on them, writing that, “When the Civil Service Reform Act functions as designed . . . the National Association of Immigration Judges would be required to bring its case through its administrative scheme… It is not clear, however, that the Civil Service Reform Act is currently so functioning.” As such, the court may have provided a basis for future wins for federal unions, including IFPTE, by acknowledging the fact that bringing an issue to a broken system for a resolution is futile. Here is a link to the Court’s decision.

At the grassroots level, IFPTE International and Locals are building support for federal workers and federal unions across the labor movement. For example, Local 12 President, Tiera Beauchamp, continues meeting with Unions in Washington state to tell the story of the challenges that federal workers and their unions are facing. Just this week, Tiera met with the Washington Education Association (WEA) and is expected to procure a letter of Solidarity from them in the coming days. We will report more on that next week. Also, at the annual SPEEA council meeting and convention held in Seattle last weekend, Tiera and Local 8A President, Nick Tolimieri, met with and discussed these attacks with SPEEA members firsthand. Finally, Eastern Federal Area VP/Local 1921 President, Ben Emmel, along with IFPTE President Matt Biggs and IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson, addressed the Society of United Professionals (SUP/IFPTE Local 160) board this week to also update them on the situation facing our federal sector Sisters, Brothers and Siblings. Indeed, the Solidarity across the IFPTE is impressive and strong.

Finally, IFPTE continues to roll out the EDues program with Locals 121 and 1 being the first Locals to start signing up members. There are several other Locals lined up to join the program in the coming weeks. Of course, this became necessary because of President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating union dues payroll deduction across most federal agencies. We again thank all the Locals across the IFPTE family that stepped up to support IFPTE’s federal sector by contributing to the set-up cost of the EDues system. THANK YOU is again to Locals 1, 20, 21, 70, 160, 162, 194, 195, 1921, and 2001 for your generous contributions to the EDues program!

Legislative:

1) The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550) introduced last month by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order (EO) eliminating collective bargaining rights for 1.5 million federal workers, now has 222 cosponsors, representing more than 50% of the House of Representatives. This means that IFPTE and labor can now pivot to working to get these cosponsors to sign a discharge petition to force a full vote of the House of Representatives. A discharge petition is needed because despite the overwhelming support for the legislation, House Speaker Mike Johnson will not schedule the bill for consideration. See IFPTE’s letter supporting the House bill.

2) Legislative Director Faraz Khan continues to work with key Senators to procure a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill in the Senate, and IFPTE anticipates a bill to be introduced in the coming days, with Virginia Senator Mark Warner expected to author the Senate version of the bill. Please continue to Call your Congressional Representative and ask them to cosponor the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act.

3) Tell Congress: Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections. IFPTE and the larger labor movement’s legislative efforts were successful in getting the FERS pension cuts for federal workers removed from the House-passed budget reconciliation package. However, the fight is not over, as this issue now moves over to the Senate. As reported in The Hill this week, Senate support for the draconian House bill is not certain. In other words, we need to shift our focus to Senate lawmakers and tell them, “hands off” of our retirement benefits. Slashing retirement benefits and reducing the take-home pay of federal workers will trigger an exodus of experienced and skilled federal workers and hollow out agencies that provide essential services and functions. Congress needs to hear from everyday Americans that lawmakers should be preserving the government’s ability to recruit and retain the best talent America has to offer to address the challenges our nation faces, support our national security and economic prosperity, provide the American people with high-quality services, and keep our communities safe. Email Your Senators and urge them to oppose any cuts to federal employees’ retirement benefits, any reductions to take-home pay, and any effort to force newly hired federal employees to choose between pay and civil service protections.

4) IFPTE continues to ask lawmakers to cosponsor HR 3093, The “Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees Act” or REHIRE Act to rebuild the federal workforce by providing a hiring preference for federal workers who were fired or otherwise involuntarily removed during the Trump Administration, and; HR 3094, the ‘‘Probationary Reduction for Employee Protections Act’’ or PREP Act would clarify that federal employees who are new to the competitive service have a 1-year probationary period, and employees who are moving to a new competitive service position from another position will have a 6-month probationary period. Both bills are authored by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), and IFPTE is encouraging Locals to also urge their House members to cosponsor these bills.

Legal:

In a victory for the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ/IFPTE Judicial Council 2), this week the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a huge win by reviving a First Amendment case brought by the NAIJ against the Department of Justice’s ‘gag order’ imposed on Immigration Judges. The DOJ policy required pre-approval by the agency for any immigration judge to speak on “official matters,” including for any union officials acting in their union capacity on behalf of the immigration judges’ unit. The district court had found that the NAIJ had to first go to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) before suing in federal court; and dismissed the case. However, the 4thCircuit decision recognized the current state of affairs throughout the civil service system and questioned whether the MSPB and the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) were still functional given the Trump Administration’s attacks on them. In her opinion, Judge Berman wrote,

“The Civil Service Reform Act requires a strong and independent Merit Systems Protections Board and Special Counsel. That foundational principle, that functioning and independent bodies would receive, review, and decide in the first instance challenges to adverse personnel actions affecting covered federal employees, has recently been called into question. Because Congress intended for the Civil Service Reform Act to strip district courts of jurisdiction only if federal employees were otherwise able to receive adequate and independent review of their claims, we vacate and remand to the district court to consider whether the text, structure, and purpose of the Civil Service Reform Act has been so undermined that the jurisdiction stripping scheme no longer controls.”

As such, the court has helped clear a path for federal unions arguing against so-called “channeling” to the FLRA, OSC, and MSPB by acknowledging the fact that bringing an issue to a broken system for a resolution is futile. Here is a link to the decision.

In other news on the legal front:

1) The Ninth Circuit has denied the government’s request to stay the Northern District of California’s preliminary injunction blocking Executive Order 14210 (the RIF order). The White House has appealed to the Supreme Court. The preliminary injunction granted on May 22nd stated that President Trump cannot implement mass layoffs of federal workers without the approval of Congress which created these agencies. “Presidents may set policy priorities for the executive branch, and agency heads may implement them. This much is undisputed,” said Judge Susan Illston for the Northern District of California in her May 22 decision. “But Congress creates federal agencies, funds them, and gives them duties that—by statute—they must carry out. Agencies may not conduct large-scale reorganizations and reductions in force in blatant disregard of Congress’s mandates, and a President may not initiate large-scale executive branch reorganization without partnering with Congress.” The ruling is an extension of the two-week temporary restraining order (TRO) she previously issued on May 9th. This means the 22 agencies named in the lawsuit are prohibited from implementing their planned layoffs until the case is resolved.

In addition, plaintiffs this week sought an emergency status conference for “apparent noncompliance” with a federal judge’s preliminary injunction barring officials from carrying out large-scale reductions-in-force. At least two federal agencies — the State Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development — have “continued to implement” President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14210 despite U.S. District Judge Susan Illston’s preliminary injunction barring them from doing so. This, among other cases, moves in the direction of a constitutional showdown and we will be watching closely and ready to mobilize.

2) IFPTE is a co-plaintiff in a RIF case in D.C. District Court covering all our Locals, including DOD. As we previously informed you, plaintiffs’ requests for a TRO and PI were rejected by the court. This case is still pending on the merits; the government filed a motion to dismiss on May 15. Here is the amended complaint. We will keep Locals updated as this litigation continues.

3) A DC Circuit Appeals panel issued a 2-1 decision lifting the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against President Trump’s union busting. The May 7th injunction on the Trump union busting EO in the NTEU lawsuit was unfortunately lifted on May 16th by a three-judge appeals panel in the DC Federal Circuit. The 2-1 majority decision lifting the restraining order ruled that the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) did not prove damages to the Union, even though the EO caused the immediate elimination of payroll union dues from federal union members to their Unions, including IFPTE. See the NTEU lawsuit here.

4) More lawsuits to come – As part of the overall litigation strategy, IFPTE is part of a coalition of unions joining together to file an additional lawsuit against the Executive Order in a venue to be determined. We thank those Locals that have already provided information to our Legal Department and ask that Local leaders continue to do so as we prepare. Please contact IFPTE General Counsel Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org with any pertinent information regarding specific impacts from the imposition of the EO.

5) IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – Please see the March 11 memo from IFPTE GC, Teresa Ellis, and Greg McGillivary of McGillivary Steele Elkin regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees. OPM, OMB and DOGE mandated that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14. RIF guidance memo here.

See the February 26 OPM memo instructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14. IFPTE recommends that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide by negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.

6) Legal support for federal workers – Rise Up, Fight Back – Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have had their basic rights violated on the job—including tens of thousands who have been fired illegally. Federal workers have an urgent need for legal support. Federal workers now have a network of lawyers helping to get them the justice they deserve. See the GovExec article here. 7) Status of all lawsuits against the current administration can be found at Just Security: “Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

Grassroots:

1) “Civil Service Strong” coalition – IFPTE has partnered with the Civil Service Strong project of Democracy Forward, along with other unions, to support our members who are civil servants under attack by the Trump administration. Alongside the 95% of people who believe civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their merit rather than their political beliefs, Civil Service Strong is committed to supporting a career, non-partisan civil service and the people who power it. Learn more here.

3) IFPTE Members are telling their Congressional lawmakers: “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections” – Don’t allow millionaires and billionaires in Congress and the White House use federal employees as a cost offset for budget reconciliation legislation. Learn more here… https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/

Public Relations and Communications:

Last week, IFPTE federal news updates subscribers received a special clips edition that covered Elon Musk’s departure from the administration, with articles on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s report about how Musk leveraged his position for personal gain and the AFL-CIO’s recent action in the labor movement’s effort to undo some of DOGE’s worst actions.

This upcoming week, the clips will feature an in-depth look at the many aspects of graft and corruption in the Trump administration, as well as another update on the legal pushback against the attack on workers’ rights and the rule of law. To sign up for clips, please fill out this form: https://www.ifpte.org/federal-news-clips

Weekly Union Recap June 6, 2025

June 6, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

SPEEA Hosts Annual Leadership Conference and Council Convention
IFPTE President Matt Biggs and Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson were among the speakers at SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001’s annual convention and leadership conference held on May 30-31 near Seattle. Biggs, in his remarks to the full SPEEA Council before its business meeting, updated SPEEA activists and officers on the Trump administration’s attacks against federal workers, including engineers and scientists represented by the IFPTE. He thanked SPEEA for its donation to the EDues system, which is allowing IFPTE members to continue their financial support of the union as it fights back for the workplace rights of the federal workforce. Read more…

The Society and IFPTE Meet US Ambassador to Canada
Earlier this week, IFPTE President Matt Biggs joined the Society of United Professionals (SUP/IFPTE Local 160) to hear remarks from the US Ambassador to Canada, the Honorable Pete Hoekstra, at an event hosted by the Empire Club of Canada. IFPTE along with Local 160 are sparing no effort on keeping our finger on the pulse as developments unfold in Canada-U.S. relations. Canadian Labour Congress President, Bea Bruske, and Ontario Federation of Labour President, Laura Walton, were also in attendance joining the Society’s table. Read more here…

IFPTE’s New Jersey Locals, Labor Rally in Trenton Against Skyrocketing Healthcare Costs
Members and leaders from Locals 194, 195, Council 21, and International Representative, Karen Bellamy Lewis, rallied in Trenton this week to protest the state’s neglect of healthcare insurance reform for public sector and local government workers. Rally attendees, which also included members from CWA, AFSCME, AFT, AAUP, and HPAE, demanded action from state lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at capping increases in healthcare premiums paid by public sector workers. Read more…

IFPTE Tells Lawmakers to Reject Trump Administration’s Call to Willingly Abandon American Scientific Leadership at NASA
IFPTE’s letter tells the House and Senate Appropriation Committee’s Subcommittee on on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that “The President’s requested FY26 spending levels for NASA and the NASA Science budget are a call to willingly abandon American ingenuity, scientific leadership, and decades of investment. Read more…

CALL TO ACTION: Unite for Veterans, Unite for America Rally
Today, June 6, the Unite for Veterans, Unite for America Rally will bring thousands of union members, veterans, military families and community leaders to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This is more than a protest—it’s a recommitment to the promises made to those who served and a defense of the values that define our democracy. Read more…

Calling All Federal Local to ‘Get in the Queue’ – IFPTE EDues Program is Underway
IFPTE continues to roll out the new EDues program, with Locals 121 and 1 currently signing up members, and Locals 32, 1921, and 12 set to take part in phase two of the EDues program. As all IFPTE Locals are aware, particularly federal Locals, the EDues program became necessary because of President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating Union dues payroll deduction across most federal agencies. Read more…

IFPTE Keeps Members and Allies Informed on the Trump Administration on the Federal Sector
Thousands of people have signed up to receive our Federal News Updates. Please fill out the online form to be added to the list, or if you’ve already signed up, please share this link with a friend or coworker.

Labour News

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Convention is approaching fast! The Convention is the highest governing body of APALA where we discuss, debate, and decide important policy and programmatic priorities for the organization. This year’s theme reflects the urgency of the moment: “Solidarity. Resistance. Unity.” Read more…

AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living Report Finds Deep Skepticism from Working Families with Current Trump Administration Policies
The AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living (DPWL) recently held a series of hearings across the country to provide a platform for working people to express their views on the current administration’s policies, the impact of those policies on their lives, and what working people want from their government. The hearings found that working people are concerned about ongoing cuts to federal jobs, programs and services. Workers objected to the Trump administration’s callous disregard for career civil servants, many of them veterans, and the administration’s attacks on the institutions, programs and regulations that protect working people. Read the Report here.

Weekly Union Recap June 2, 2025

June 2, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on
Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE continues to seek support for a House discharge petition to bring HR 2550, the “Keep America’s Workforce Act,” which already has more than 50% of house members supporting the bill with 222 bipartisan cosponsors. IFPTE Legislative Director, Faraz Khan, also continues pounding the pavement on the Senate side of Capitol Hill to procure a bipartisan companion bill in that chamber. While there have been some Republicans, including Maine Senator, Susan Collins, expressing concerns with the Trump union-busting Executive Order, which is why the bill is needed, none have stepped up thus far to be an original author of the bill with Virginia Senator Mark Warner. Of course, IFPTE has many members living in Maine and working at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard – we certainly encourage IFPTE members who live in her state to contact the Senator’s office (202-224-2453) and urge her to match her rhetoric with action. IFPTE will continue to keep Locals apprised of the status of the House discharge petition and the status of a Senate companion bill.

The fallout against the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that will eliminate Medicaid for nearly 14 million Americans and throw another 10 million Americans off of food assistance, and that passed the House by a mere single vote, continues. While IFPTE and the larger labor movement will continue to fight against this bill, Americans are realizing just how immoral and draconian the bill is and understand that the historic cuts to these programs are intended to pay for the tax cuts in the same bill that benefit billionaires and corporations. That’s right—taking from the most vulnerable to benefit the ultra-wealthy. AFL-CIO President, Liz Shuler, called the bill, “shameful,” and IFPTE describing it as “a disaster.” In addition to Medicaid and food assistance beneficiaries hurt by this legislation, IFPTE members working in the healthcare industry, as well as public sector workers will also be harmed, as federal Medicaid and food assistance resources are the largest source of revenue from the federal government to states. Sadly, it will impact jobs if allowed to stand. IFPTE will continue to work against this budget package as the debate on this issue moves over to the Senate. An action item for IFPTE members is included in the Recap.

On the legal front, last week, a federal judge in California issued an injunction against President Trump’s purging of federal workers and attempted reorganization of the federal government without Congressional approval. The order blocks the Administration’s plans to unilaterally implement across-the-board layoffs of federal employees in the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Labor Relations Board, the National Science Foundation, the Small Business Administration, the Social Security Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of Government Efficiency.  However, it does not apply to the Department of Defense (DOD).

On that front, IFPTE is a co-plaintiff in a RIF case in D.C. District Court covering all of our Locals, including DOD. Unfortunately, our requests for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and Preliminary Injunction (PI) were both rejected by the court, but the case is still pending on the merits. Plaintiffs asked for leave to file a second amended complaint this past Monday, and the government has already objected. IFPTE will keep Locals updated as this litigation continues.

At the grassroots level, IFPTE joined IFPTE members in New York City this week as they are, quite literally, being thrown out of their office space and science lab. Locals 29 and 30 represented scientists and researchers working at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), located at Columbia University in New York, were instructed by NASA management last month to vacate their offices by Wednesday, May 29^th. NASA and DOGE, which is behind the eviction, are providing no replacement work location for the more than 100 scientists and researchers, leaving them to fend for themselves to find office space, or work from home. President Matt Biggs and Legislative Director Faraz Khan, who travelled to GISS offices on Tuesday, spoke to multiple media outlets to bring transparency to this issue, calling the eviction, “outrageous, highly disrespectful to the scientists and researchers, fiscally irresponsible, and will put a huge stain in NASA’s impeccable reputation.” More on this in the Recap.     

Finally, IFPTE continues to roll out the EDues program with Locals 121 and 1 being the first Locals to start signing up members. Of course, this became necessary because of President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating union dues payroll deduction across most federal agencies – an executive order that labor is suing to block. We again thank all of the Locals across the IFPTE family that stepped up to support IFPTE’s federal sector by contributing to the set-up cost of the EDues system. THANK YOU again to Locals 1, 20, 21, 70, 160, 162, 194, 195, 1921 and 2001 for your generous contributions to the EDues program!

Legislative: 

CALL Your Senators – Let them know that Cuts to Medicaid and Food Assistance = Lost Jobs and tens of millions being denied health insurance and food assistance. Right now, the Senate is considering a budget that would have the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and to SNAP food assistance, as well as more cuts to retirement benefits for federal workers. Health care, food assistance, and dignity in retirement—these programs are a cornerstone of a secure existence for working people.
The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550), introduced last month by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order (EO) eliminating collective bargaining rights for 1.5 million federal workers, now has 222 cosponsors, representing more than 50% of the House of Representatives. This means that IFPTE and labor can now pivot to working to get these cosponsors to sign a discharge petition to force a full vote of the House of Representatives. A discharge petition is needed because despite the overwhelming support for the legislation, House Speaker Mike Johnson will not schedule the bill for consideration. See IFPTE’s letter supporting the House bill.
Legislative Director Faraz Khan continues to work with key Senators to procure a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill in the Senate, and IFPTE anticipates a bill to be introduced in the coming days, with Virginia Senator Mark Warner expected to author the Senate version of the bill. Please continue to Call your Congressional Representative and ask them to cosponsor the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act.
Ball is in Senate’s Court: Tell Your Senators, “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections.” As stated above, IFPTE and the larger labor movement’s legislative efforts were successful in getting the FERS pension cuts for federal workers removed from the House-passed budget reconciliation package. However, the fight is not over as this issue now moves over to the Senate. In other words, we need to shift our focus to Senate lawmakers and tell them “hands off” of our retirement benefits. Slashing retirement benefits and reducing the take-home pay of federal workers will trigger an exodus of experienced and skilled federal workers and hollow out agencies that provide essential services and functions. Congress needs to hear from everyday Americans that lawmakers should be preserving the government’s ability to recruit and retain the best talent America has to offer to address the challenges our nation faces, support our national security and economic prosperity, provide the American people with high-quality services, and keep our communities safe. Email Your Senators and urge them to oppose any cuts to federal employees’ retirement benefits, any reductions to take-home pay, and any effort to force newly hired federal employees to choose between pay and civil service protections.
IFPTE continues to ask lawmakers to cosponsor HR 3093, The “Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees Act” or REHIRE Act to rebuild the federal workforce by providing a hiring preference for federal workers who were fired or otherwise involuntarily removed during the Trump Administration, and HR 3094, the ‘‘Probationary Reduction for Employee Protections Act’’ or PREP Act would clarify that federal employees who are new to the competitive service have a 1-year probationary period, and employees who are moving to a new competitive service position from another position will have a 6-month probationary period. Both bills are authored by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and IFPTE is encouraging Locals to also urge their House members to cosponsor these bills.

Legal:

In what can only be described as a major victory, on May 22 a Federal Court issued a restraining order prohibiting 22 federal agencies from moving forward with their massive downsizing plans. In her decision, Federal Judge Susan Illston stated that “Presidents may set policy priorities for the executive branch, and agency heads may implement them. This much is undisputed,” said Judge Susan Illston for the Northern District of California in her May 22 decision. “But Congress creates federal agencies, funds them, and gives them duties that—by statute—they must carry out. Agencies may not conduct large-scale reorganizations and reductions-in-force in blatant disregard of Congress’s mandates, and a President may not initiate large-scale executive branch reorganization without partnering with Congress.”  Judge Illston’s decision is an extension of her May 9 two-week temporary restraining order, pausing implementation of Executive Order 14210 and agency-level reduction-in-force (RIF) activity across dozens of federal agencies.  The case was brought by unions and nonprofit plaintiffs against the Trump administration based upon “fundamental questions of executive authority and separation of powers.” 

The Court found plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claims that Executive Order 14210 and the related agency directives are unlawful and exceed executive authority under both the APA and the Constitution.  The judge found that Plaintiffs demonstrated imminent, irreparable harm, as RIFs were set to begin as early as May 18, also emphasizing the importance of preserving Congressional authority over agency functions and finding that the public interest favored maintaining the status quo.  The TRO affects a wide range of agencies, including HHS, HUD, DOL, VA, SBA, SSA, and AmeriCorps. The ruling was issued following the submission of over 1,000 pages of declarations from unions, nonprofits, and local governments.  In granting its temporary restraining order, the court noted several times that “the President may not, without Congress, fundamentally reorganize the federal agencies.”

The restraining order applies to the following agencies:  OMB, OPM, DOGE, USDA, Commerce, Energy, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, Transportation, VA, AmeriCorps, EPA, GSA, NLRB, NSF, SBA, and SSA and their efforts to implement or enforce Sections 3(c) and 3(e) of Executive Order 14210 or the February 26, 2025 OMB/OPM Memorandum. 

While this ruling does cover EPA and SSA, where IFPTE members work, it does not cover other federal agencies where IFPTE members are employed, including DOD.  Furthermore, the next coalition case may include mass RIFs.  IFPTE is a co-plaintiff in a RIF case in D.C. District Court covering all of our Locals, including DOD. As we previously informed you, plaintiffs’ requests for a TRO and PI were rejected by the court. This case is still pending on the merits; the government filed a motion to dismiss on May 15.  Here is the amended complaint.  We will keep Locals updated as this litigation continues.
A DC Circuit Appeals panel issued a 2-1 decision lifting the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against President Trump’s union-busting. The May 7 injunction on the Trump union-busting EO in the NTEU lawsuit was unfortunately lifted late Friday, May 16 by a three-judge appeals panel in the DC Federal Circuit. The 2-1 majority decision lifting the restraining order ruled that the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) did not prove damages to the Union, even though the EO caused the immediate elimination of payroll Union Dues from federal union members to their Unions, including IFPTE. See the NTEU lawsuit here.

Despite the setback IFPTE continues to monitor the AFGE case in the Northern District of California, which has a longer briefing schedule that continues through this summer, and we expect a third lawsuit to be forthcoming later this summer that IFPTE is expected to be a part of.

Here are some answers to questions the International has received from federal Locals and members:

· What is the status of the AFGE case, when (date) will a possible injunction be issued/decided upon?  This week the Judge in the AFGE et al case filed in the Northern District of CA issued an order for a hearing on the preliminary injunction request, setting it for June 18, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in San Francisco. 

· When will the third lawsuit that IFPTE will be a part of be filed?  The coalition partners met last week to discuss coverage and strategy, and the date of the filing is still yet to be determined. While the process is not as speedy as we would like we do expect that third lawsuit to be forthcoming this summer.

· What EOs will the third lawsuit be covering?  The collective bargaining EO.  

We will keep Locals updated as things progress and when we get to drafting declarations based on the information we have gotten from Locals.  
More lawsuits to come – As part of the overall litigation strategy, IFPTE is part of a coalition of unions joining together to file an additional lawsuit against the Executive Order in a venue to be determined. We thank those Locals that have already provided information to our Legal Department and ask that Local leaders continue to do so as we prepare. Please contact IFPTE General Counsel Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org with any pertinent information regarding specific impacts from the imposition of the EO.
IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – Please see the March 11 memo from IFPTE GC, Teresa Ellis, and Greg McGillivary of McGillivary Steele Elkin regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees. OPM, OMB and DOGE mandated that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14. RIF guidance memo here.

See the February 26th OPM memo instructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14.  IFPTE recommends that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.
 
Legal support for federal workers – Rise Up, Fight Back – Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have had their basic rights violated on the job—including tens of thousands who have been fired illegally. Federal workers have an urgent need for legal support. Federal workers now have a network of lawyers helping to get them the justice they deserve.  See the GovExec article here.
Status of all lawsuits against the current administration can be found at  Just Security: “Litigation Tracker:  Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.”

Grassroots

“Civil Service Strong” coalition – IFPTE has partnered with the Civil Service Strong project of Democracy Forward, along with other unions, to support our members who are civil servants under attack by the Trump administration. Alongside the 95% of people who believe civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their merit rather than their political beliefs, Civil Service Strong is committed to supporting a career, non-partisan civil service and the people who power it. Learn more here.
MAKE A CALL – Restore Federal Employee Rights Now – IFPTE joins the AFL-CIO campaign asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now. Fill out the form on the right to receive a call or dial 844-896-5059. Learn more here.
IFPTE Members are telling their Congressional lawmakers: “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protection” – Don’t allow millionaires and billionaires in Congress and the White House to use federal employees as a cost offset for budget reconciliation legislation. Learn more here… https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/

Public Relations and Communications

This past week, IFPTE clips subscribers were kept informed about President Matt Biggs and Legislative Director Faraz Khan’s trip to New York City to speak out on behalf of members at the Goddard Institute for Science Studies (GISS), a specialized research group within NASA. Both Space.com and Gothamist covered the ongoing assault on the important work at GISS and the dedicated professionals who do it.

In addition to continuing coverage of the Trump administration’s assault on workers’ rights and the rule of law, among other things, this upcoming week’s clips will feature a canvassing of articles covering bored billionaire Elon Musk’s unlawful stint as an unauthorized advisor to the president – including what may come next.

To sign up for clips, please fill out this form: https://www.ifpte.org/federal-news-clips.

Weekly Union Recap May 27, 2025

May 27, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on
Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

Late last Friday afternoon, May 16, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision lifting the restraining order against President Trump’s executive order (EO) aimed at eliminating federal labor unions. In a 2-1 decision by the three-judge panel, the court ruled that the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) did not prove irreparable harm to the Union, despite the fact that though the implementation of the EO resulted in the immediate elimination of payroll union dues from federal union members to their Unions, including IFPTE. The two judges who issued the majority opinion were both appointed by Presidents (George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump) that have a history of Union-Busting policies, and it is disappointing to see them render a ruling that IFPTE believes is clearly incorrect. That said, there remains a lawsuit led by AFGE in federal court in the Northern District of California, and we expect there will be another lawsuit against the order in which IFPTE will be a named plaintiff. See below to learn more about IFPTE and organized labor’s legal efforts.

Also this week, the House Republican majority continued their efforts to ram through a budget reconciliation package aimed at making permanent the Trump Administration’s tax cuts for our wealthiest citizens and corporations, and have working families help to offset the almost $5 trillion increase in the budget deficit by eliminating Medicaid and food assistance for upwards of 24 million American citizens as well as will lead the closure of hospitals across the nation. Sadly, the majority in the House scheduled a 1am mark-up in the Rules Committee on Wednesday morning, followed by consideration in the full House during the early morning hours on Thursday so the public would, literally, be left in the dark as to just how draconian and damaging the legislation is to working families and to how much the budget will balloon the national deficit. At the end of the day, and after a visit by President Trump to personally meet with the House majority, the House passed the bill by a single vote at 6:55am. While the bill is historically terrible for working families, IFPTE’s legislative efforts did result in the elimination of language calling for federal workers to pay more into their defined benefit retirement without a corresponding benefit increase and changing the pension calculation formula from the average high three of earnings to the high five years of earnings. IFPTE also was successful in working to get language aiming to eliminate the tax-exempt status of non-profit organizations from the bill. More details on this are included in the recap and on the IFPTE webpage, and IFPTE will continue to work against this budget package as the debate on this issue moves over to the Senate.

IFPTE’s legislative director Faraz Khan continues to work on Capitol Hill each week and this past week was no different. Brother Khan continues to work with Congressional offices to gain cosponsors for HR 2550, bipartisan legislation overturning Trump’s latest Executive Order aimed at eliminating collective bargaining rights for some 1 million federal workers and eliminating union payroll dues deduction. The bipartisan cosponsor list has reached 221 this week, and the labor movement, including IFPTE, is pushing for a discharge petition to get the bill to the House floor. IFPTE is also working to get an identical, and hopefully bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate. More on that below…

Finally, IFPTE continues to roll out the EDues program, with Locals 121 and 1, the first in the pilot program to start signing up members to use the new platform. Of course, this became necessary because of President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating union dues payroll deduction across most federal agencies. We again thank all of the Locals across the IFPTE family that stepped up to support IFPTE’s federal sector by contributing to the setup cost of the EDues system. THANK YOU is again in order to Locals 1, 20, 21, 70, 160, 162, 194, 195, 1921 and 2001 for your generous contributions to the EDues program!

Legislative:

1) The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550) introduced last month by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order (EO) eliminating collective bargaining rights for 1.5 million federal workers, now has 221 cosponsors, representing more than 50% of the House of Representatives. IFPTE and labor unions are pivoting toward a discharge petition to force a full vote of the House of Representatives. A discharge petition is needed because, despite the overwhelming support for the legislation, House Speaker Mike Johnson will not schedule the bill for consideration. See IFPTE’s letter supporting the House bill. At the same time, IFPTE continues to work with key Senators to introduce a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill in the Senate, and IFPTE anticipates that bill to be introduced soon.

2) Tell Congress: Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections. As stated above, IFPTE and the larger labor movement’s legislative efforts were successful in getting most of the FERS pension cuts for federal workers removed from the House-passed budget reconciliation package. However, the elimination of the FERS supplement starting in 2028 and the provision forcing new hires to choose either at-will employment or lose 5% of pay for merit-protections are in the House-passed text. The fight is not over, as the budget reconciliation process now moves over to the Senate. All Senators need to hear from their constituents that none of these provisions should be in the Senate’s version of the budget reconciliation bill – not the provisions that increased FERS contribution rates to 4.4% for all federal workers, not the change of the high-3 to high-5, and not the remaining provisions that are in the House-passed bill. Slashing federal retirement benefits, reducing the take-home pay of federal workers, and allowing unaccountable and politicized firings of new hires will trigger an exodus of experienced and skilled federal workers, hollow out agencies that provide essential services and functions, and legalize corrupt and partisan practices at the expense of the American public. Email Your Senators and urge them to oppose any cuts to federal employees’ retirement benefits, any reductions to take-home pay, and any effort to force newly hired federal employees to choose between pay and civil service protections. 3) IFPTE continues to ask lawmakers to cosponsor HR 3093, The “Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees Act” or REHIRE Act to rebuild the federal workforce by providing a hiring preference for federal workers who were fired or otherwise involuntarily removed during the Trump Administration, and; HR 3094, the ‘‘Probationary Reduction for Employee Protections Act’’ or PREP Act would clarify that federal employees who are new to the competitive service have a 1-year probationary period, and employees who are moving to a new competitive service position from another position will have a 6-month probationary period. Both bills are authored by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and IFPTE is encouraging Locals to also urge their House members to cosponsor these bills.

Legal:

1) A DC Circuit Appeals panel issued a 2-1 decision lifting the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against President Trump’s Union busting. The May 7 injunction on the Trump union busting EO in the NTEU lawsuit was lifted late Friday, May 16 by a three-judge appeals panel in the DC Federal Circuit. The 2-1 decision lifting the restraining order ruled that the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) did not prove irreparable harm to the Union, even though the EO caused the immediate elimination of payroll Union Dues from federal union members to their Unions, including IFPTE. See the NTEU lawsuit here.

IFPTE continues to monitor the AFGE case in the Northern District of California, which has a longer briefing schedule that continues through this summer. The judge in that case set a hearing date on the request for preliminary injunction of June 18, 2025.

2) On May 22,a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that extended the two-week temporary restraining order she had put in place pausing RIFs at many government agencies, including EPA and SSA – On Thursday, May 22, 2025, Judge Illston in the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction extending the pause in implementation of Executive Order 14210 and agency-level Reduction-in-Force (RIF) activity across dozens of federal agencies indefinitely pending the outcome of the litigation. The case was brought by unions, nonprofit plaintiffs, and local government plaintiffs against the Trump administration based upon “fundamental questions of executive authority and separation of powers.”

The court found plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their claims that Executive Order 14210 and related agency directives are unlawful and exceed executive authority under both the APA and the Constitution. The opinion rejects the government’s argument that its actions are ordinary agency decisions made independently, concluding instead that the reorganization plans were directed by the White House and violate the separation of powers. In its opinion, the court recognized the sweeping scope of the harm posed by the administration’s actions, including agency plans to eliminate tens of thousands of positions and disruption of public services. In imposing the preliminary injunction, the court noted that “[a]gencies may not conduct large-scale reorganizations and reductions in force in blatant disregard of Congress’s mandates, and a President may not initiate large-scale executive branch reorganization without partnering with Congress.”

The preliminary injunction applies to the following agencies: OMB, OPM, DOGE, USDA, Commerce, Energy, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, Transportation, VA, AmeriCorps, EPA, GSA, NLRB, NSF, SBA, and SSA and their efforts to implement or enforce sections 3(c) and 3(e) of Executive Order 14210 or the February 26, 2025 OMB/OPM Memorandum. Here is a link to the ruling and a link to a GovExec article.

While this ruling does cover EPA and SSA, where IFPTE members work, it does not cover other federal agencies where IFPTE members are employed, including DOD. The next coalition case may include DOD as well as mass RIFs. We will keep Locals updated as things progress.

3) IFPTE is a co-plaintiff in a RIF case in D.C. District Court covering all of our Locals, including DOD. As we previously informed you, plaintiffs’ requests for a TRO and PI were rejected by the D.C. District Court. This case is still pending on the merits; the government filed a motion to dismiss on May 15. Here is the amended complaint. We will keep Locals updated as this litigation continues.

5) IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – Please see the March 11 memo from IFPTE GC, Teresa Ellis, and Greg McGillivary of McGillivary Steele Elkin regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees. OPM, OMB and DOGE mandated that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14.

See the February 26 OPM memo instructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14. IFPTE recommends that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.

6) Legal support for federal workers – Rise Up, Fight Back – Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have had their basic rights violated on the job—including tens of thousands who have been fired illegally. Federal workers have an urgent need for legal support. Federal workers now have a network of lawyers helping to get them the justice they deserve. See the GovExec article here. 7) Status of all lawsuits against the current administration can be found at Just Security: “Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

Grassroots:

2) MAKE A CALL – Restore Federal Employee Rights Now – IFPTE joins the AFL-CIO campaign asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now. Fill out the form on the right to receive a call or dial 844-896-5059. Learn more here. 3) IFPTE Members are telling their Congressional lawmakers: “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protection” – Don’t allow millionaires and billionaires in Congress and the White House use federal employees as a cost offset for budget reconciliation legislation. Learn more here… https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/

Public Relations and Communications:

This week’s Federal News and Updates (the “Clips”) featured items that took a more in-depth look at issues important to IFPTE members concerned by the assault on the civil service. The Clips included articles (examples below) on key provisions of the GOP budget bill passed by the House last week and recent legal actions affecting the labor movement’s fight in the courts to defend rights of federal workers.

THE BUDGET: A Sneaky Policy Buried in the GOP Tax Bill Could Blow Up the Civil Service (HuffPost)

The White House has tried to unilaterally shut down federal agencies, terminate tens of thousands of probationary employees, carry out mass layoffs through “reductions in force” and strip collective-bargaining rights from up to a million workers….Federal unions are an obstacle to all those goals, and the GOP tax measure could be one way to weaken them for good.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/house-gop-tax-bill-at-will-employment_n_682f8bcfe4b0e1fe96d65092

THE COURTS: Judge Calls Out Trump’s Absurd Argument for Wrecking the Department of Education (New York Magazine Intelligencer)

This is one case (there will be others) that will eventually force the Supreme Court to provide some clarity about executive takeovers of congressional authority under the guise of actual presidential powers applied haphazardly and, in this case, counterproductively.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/judge-calls-out-absurd-argument-for-wrecking-education-dept.html

To keep up with the latest news on events in the federal sector, please fill out this form: https://www.ifpte.org/federal-news-clips. If you’re already signed up, share it with a coworker or friend!

Weekly Union Recap May 19, 2025

May 20, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

This week the Republican led House of Representatives continued moving through proposed huge cuts to taxpayer funded services that fall under respective committee jurisdiction. These cuts, which include a $715 billion cut to Medicaid and another $300 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), come on the heels of cuts to federal employee pensions approved by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee two weeks ago. As a reminder, the Oversight Committee approved cuts impacting federal workers are:

Raising the FERS retirement contribution rate for all federal and postal employees to 4.4% of their salary.
Eliminating the FERS supplement payment for federal employees retiring before age 62 (federal occupations with retirement required before age 62 are exempted).
Basing a federal retiree’s annuity payment on their average highest five earning years, instead of the current highest three earning years.
Forcing new federal employee hires to be “at will” employees without merit system protections or choose to maintain merit system protections and pay an additional 5% FERS contribution rate, totaling 9.4% of pay, which is effectively a 5% pay cut.
Charging a $350 fee for federal employees to gain access to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

It is worth reminding IFPTE’s membership, federal and non-federal alike, that these draconian and damaging cuts moving through the House of Representatives are intended to be included in a budget reconciliation bill that, as of now, Speaker Mike Johnson says will be before the full house next week – the week of May 19th. In other words, Speaker Johnson, the overall House Republican leadership and majority, and the Trump Administration are attempting to force through a budget reconciliation bill that proposes for federal workers, Veterans, seniors and the disabled that are Medicaid recipients, and food stamp and free and reduced lunch program students and recipients to pay for making permanent the Trump tax cuts that overwhelmingly go to billionaires and corporations. Robin Hood in reverse is unfortunately alive and well in the United States House of Representatives. IFPTE will continue to work against these efforts as this continues to move through the House, and eventually over to the Senate.

IFPTE was also on Capitol Hill this week participating on panels and meeting with staff and lawmakers. IFPTE’s legislative director Faraz Khan participated in a Congressional Labor Caucus Federal Employee Working Group briefing this week, providing lawmakers with the latest developments on union litigation efforts against the Trump EOs and firings, and a discussion of labor’s legislative requests to help block and mitigate the anti-federal worker policies of the Trump Administration. Meanwhile, IFPTE President Matt Biggs participated in a Democratic Member Roundtable on Oversight Reconciliation Provisions aimed at increasing pension contributions of federal workers without any corresponding pension benefit increase – i.e., a pay cut for federal workers. The roundtable was organized by Representatives Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and was intended to help House members and staff better understand the gravity of the efforts of the House to cut federal employee pensions and benefits to help fund the Trump tax cut. And, of course IFPTE continues work with Congressional offices to gain cosponsors for HR 2550, bipartisan legislation overturning Trump’s latest Executive Order aimed at eliminating collective bargaining rights for some 1 million federal workers and eliminating union payroll dues deduction. The bipartisan cosponsor list has reached 221 this week, and the labor movement, including IFPTE, are pushing for a discharge petition to get the bill to the House floor. More on that below…

Additionally, two Fridays ago, President Trump reached deep into the Legislative Branch of government and took the unprecedented step of firing the head of the Library of Congress. Given that the Republican majority has already all but handed over their Article I responsibilities of making law and appropriating and spending money over to President Trump, this only adds to what increasingly looks like a Bonafide constitutional crisis. Congress, regardless of who controls it and regardless of who sits in the White House, has never handed over their co-equal branch of government constitutional responsibilities to the Executive – until now. This latest action of firing the head of a Legislative Branch agency raises serious concerns and begs the question: How far will the Trump Administration go intervening into the Legislative Branch, and will the Republican led Congress allow it? IFPTE will continue to monitor this situation and work against it.

Finally, this was a historic week at IFPTE, as it marked the week that the first group of IFPTE members signed up for the EDues program. Of course, this became necessary because of President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating union dues payroll deduction across most federal agencies. We again thank all of the Locals across the IFPTE family that stepped up to support IFPTE’s federal sector by contributing to the set up cost of the EDues system. THANK YOU is again in order to Locals 1, 20, 21, 70, 160, 162, 194, 195, 1921 and 2001 for your generous contributions to the EDues program!

Legislative: 

Good news – The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550) introduced last month by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order (EO) eliminating collective bargaining rights for 1.5 million federal workers, now has 221 cosponsors, representing more than 50% of the House of Representatives. This means that IFPTE and labor can now pivot to working to get these cosponsors to sign a discharge petition to force a full vote of the House of Representatives. A discharge petition is needed because despite the overwhelming support for the legislation, House Speaker Mike Johnson will not schedule the bill for consideration. See IFPTE’s letter supporting the House bill.
Legislative Director Faraz Khan continues to work with key Senators to procure a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill in the Senate, and IFPTE anticipates a bill to be introduced in the coming days, with Virginia Senator Mark Warner expected to author the Senate version of the bill. Please continue to Call your Congressional Representative and ask them to cosponor the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act
Tell Congress: Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections. As stipulated above, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted in late April to cut $51 billion over the next ten years from the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and make other changes that undermine our nonpartisan civil service. Congress will be considering passing these spending cuts in a budget reconciliation bill that will include between $1.5 to $2 trillion in spending cuts to offset a portion of $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations (the $2.5 to 3 billion in tax cuts that aren’t offset will result in a significant increase to the federal deficit). Slashing retirement benefits and reducing the take-home pay of federal workers will trigger an exodus of experienced and skilled federal workers and hollow out agencies that provide essential services and functions. Congress needs to hear from everyday Americans that lawmakers should be preserving the government’s ability to recruit and retain the best talent America has to offer to address the challenges our nation faces, support our national security and economic prosperity, provide the American people with high-quality services, and keep our communities safe. Even though the House Oversight Committee passed these cuts this week, it is not too late to weigh-in. This fight is far from over. Email Your Representative and Senators and urge them to oppose any cuts to federal employees’ retirement benefits, any reductions to take-home pay, and any effort to force newly hired federal employees to choose between pay and civil service protections. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/
IFPTE continues to ask lawmakers to cosponsor HR 3093, The “Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees Act” or REHIRE Act to rebuild the federal workforce by providing a hiring preference for federal workers who were fired or otherwise involuntarily removed during the Trump Administration, and; HR 3094, the ‘‘Probationary Reduction for Employee Protections Act’’ or PREP Act would clarify that federal employees who are new to the competitive service have a 1-year probationary period, and employees who are moving to a new competitive service position from another position will have a 6-month probationary period. Both bills are authored by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and IFPTE is encouraging Locals to also urge their House members to cosponsor these bills.

Legal:

The May 7th injunction on the Trump union busting EO in the NTEU lawsuit remains in place. While IFPTE’s and the larger labor movement’s analysis that the Judge’s ruling on the injunction makes clear that all federal agencies are covered, government attorneys attempting to protect the Trump union-busting agenda argue otherwise. We also continue to monitor the AFGE case in the Northern District of California, which has a longer briefing schedule that continues through this summer.

1. Judge issues two-week temporary restraining order (TRO) pausing RIFs at many government agencies, including EPA and SSA – On Friday , May 9, 2025, Judge Illston in the Northern District of California issued a two-week temporary restraining order, pausing implementation of Executive Order 14210 and agency-level Reduction-in-Force (RIF) activity across dozens of federal agencies.  The case was brought by unions and nonprofit plaintiffs against the Trump administration based upon “fundamental questions of executive authority and separation of powers.” 

The Court found plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claims that Executive Order 14210 and the related agency directives are unlawful and exceed executive authority under both the APA and the Constitution.  The judge found that Plaintiffs demonstrated imminent, irreparable harm, as RIFs were set to begin as early as May 18, also emphasizing the importance of preserving Congressional authority over agency functions and finding that the public interest favored maintaining the status quo.  The TRO affects a wide range of agencies, including HHS, HUD, DOL, VA, SBA, SSA, and AmeriCorps. The ruling was issued following the submission of over 1,000 pages of declarations from unions, nonprofits, and local governments.  In granting its temporary restraining order, the court noted several times that “the President may not, without Congress, fundamentally reorganize the federal agencies.”

The restraining order applies to the following agencies:  OMB, OPM, DOGE, USDA, Commerce, Energy, HHS, HUD, Interior, Labor, State, Treasury, Transportation, VA, AmeriCorps, EPA, GSA, NLRB, NSF, SBA, and SSA and their efforts to implement or enforce sections 3(c) and 3(e) of Executive Order 14210 or the February 26, 2025 OMB/OPM Memorandum.  The court further ordered discovery of Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans (ARRPs) due May 13, 2025.  Plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction is due May 14, 2025 and a  preliminary injunction (PI) hearing will be held in person on Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 10:30 a.m PDT.  Here is a copy of the ruling, and a link to a GovExec article. 

While this ruling does cover EPA and SSA, where IFPTE members work, it does not cover other federal agencies where IFPTE members are employed, including DOD. 

2. IFPTE is a co-plaintiff in a RIF case in D.C. District Court covering all of our locals, including DOD. As we previously informed you, plaintiffs’ requests for a TRO and PI were rejected by the court. This case is still pending on the merits; the government filed a motion to dismiss on May 15.   Here is the amended complaint.  We will keep Locals updated as this litigation continues.

3. NTEU case against EO 14251 – On April 28, the D.C. District Court issued an opinion to accompany its April 25 order issuing a preliminary injunction against Executive Order 14251. This EO attempts to strip collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the federal workforce under the pretext of a statutory national security exemption. The court specifically noted in its opinion that the union challenged the entire Executive Order EO, stating that the lack of evidence of any impact on national security correspondingly warrants “enjoining Section 2 of the Executive Order in its entirety” [emphasis added]. NTEU v. Trump, Case No. 1:25-cv-935 (D.D.C.), Dkt. 34 at 44-45.” This means that the administration is prevented from implementing the order at all, including in agencies like the Department of Defense and Social Security Administration, where IFPTE represents tens of thousands of workers. We note that the injunction has been appealed to the D.C. Circuit, and that we do expect the merits of the case to eventually reach the Supreme Court. See the NTEU lawsuit here.

4. More lawsuits to come – As part of the overall litigation strategy, IFPTE is part of a coalition of unions joining together to file an additional lawsuit against the Executive Order in a venue to be determined. We thank those locals that have already provided information to our Legal Department and ask that local leaders continue to do so as we prepare. Please contact IFPTE General Counsel Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org with any pertinent information regarding specific impacts from the imposition of the EO.

5. IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – Please see the March 11 memo from IFPTE GC, Teresa Ellis, and Greg McGillivary of McGillivary Steele Elkin regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees. OPM, OMB and DOGE mandated that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14. RIF guidance memo here.

See the February 26th OPM memo instructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14.  IFPTE recommends that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.

6. Legal support for federal workers – Rise Up, Fight Back – Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have had their basic rights violated on the job—including tens of thousands who have been fired illegally. Federal workers have an urgent need for legal support. Federal workers now have a network of lawyers helping to get them the justice they deserve.  See the GovExec article here.

7. Status of all lawsuits against the current administration can be found at  Just Security: [url1005.email.actionnetwork.org] “Litigation Tracker:  Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.”

Grassroots

“Civil Service Strong” coalition – IFPTE is proud to announce our partnership with the Civil Service Strong project of Democracy Forward, along with other unions, to support our members who are civil servants under attack by the Trump administration. Alongside the 95% of people who believe civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their merit rather than their political beliefs, Civil Service Strong is committed to supporting a career, non-partisan civil service and the people who power it. Learn more here.
MAKE A CALL – Restore Federal Employee Rights Now – IFPTE joins the AFL-CIO campaign asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now. Fill out the form on the right to receive a call or dial 844-896-5059. Learn more here.
IFPTE Members are telling their Congressional lawmakers: “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protection” – Don’t allow millionaires and billionaires in Congress and the White House use federal employees as a cost offset for budget reconciliation legislation. Learn more here… https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/

Public Relations and Communications

Last week’s newsclips featured an in-depth interview with IFPTE President Matt Biggs. Coming up this week, a special “Legal Edition” of the clips will update readers on key cases, court decisions and Congressional actions related to the ongoing assault on our legal system and erosion of due process.

America’s Workforce Podcast – IFPTE President Matt Biggs, called the Trump Administration’s and the Republic led Congress’ plans to gut Medicaid and Federal Employee pensions and use those funds to pay for the Trump tax cut for billionaires, “outrageous and deplorable.” Hear it here at the 38:30 mark [url1005.email.actionnetwork.org].

To sign up for clips, please fill out this form: https://www.ifpte.org/federal-news-clips

Weekly Union Recap May 12, 2025

May 12, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

The IFPTE federal sector EDues program launched this week with our pilot Locals (1, 32, 121 and 1921) working with the International to sign up members to pay their dues through the new payment system. This became necessary, of course, because of President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating Union dues payroll deduction across most federal agencies. SOLIDARITY is also alive and well across the IFPTE family, as several Locals stepped up to contribute seed money toward the EDues system. Many thanks to Locals 1, 20, 21, 70, 160, 162, 194, 195, 1921 and 2001 for your generous contributions to the EDues program!

The IFPTE International and IFPTE Locals across the nation also continued to fight this week against the ongoing attacks against Civil Servants by the Trump Administration. Included in this week’s activities – IFPTE legislative director, Faraz Khan’s continues work with congressional offices to gain cosponsors for HR 2550, bipartisan legislation overturning Trump’s latest Executive Order aimed at eliminating collective bargaining rights for some 1 million federal workers and eliminating Union payroll dues deduction. More on that below.

It is important to remind IFPTE’s federal sector membership that last week the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed through several measures intended to be included in a budget reconciliation bill later this Summer or Fall. Led by the Republican majority, the Committee passed on a party-line vote with all but one Republican (Rep. David Joyce) for and all Democrats voting against reckless proposals aimed at forcing federal workers and others to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. These proposals that passed the House Committee include:

Raising the FERS retirement contribution rate for all federal and postal employees to 4.4% of their salary.
Eliminating the FERS supplement payment for federal employees retiring before age 62 (federal occupations with retirement required before age 62 are exempted).
Basing a federal retiree’s annuity payment on their average highest five earning years, instead of the current highest three earning years.
Forcing new federal employee hires choose to be “at will” employees without merit system protections or choose to maintain merit system protections and pay an additional 5% FERS contribution rate, totaling 9.4% of pay, which is effectively a 5% pay cut.
Charging a $350 fee for federal employees to gain access to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

You can read more about these proposals, which IFPTE, the larger movement, and IFPTE Locals have opposed, here. Keep in mind that while these proposals have passed through Committee, they are not binding, and the President and the Congressional Republican Majority still have a long way to go to ultimately get them into a budget package and pass them into law. IFPTE will be fighting this at every step.

Legislative:

1) Good news – The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550) introduced last month by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order (EO) eliminating collective bargaining rights for 1.5 million federal workers, now has 219 cosponsors, representing more than 50% of the House of Representatives. This means that IFPTE and labor can now pivot to working to get these cosponsors to sign a discharge petition to force a full vote of the House of Representatives. A discharge petition is needed because despite the overwhelming support for the legislation, House Speaker Mike Johnson will not schedule the bill for consideration. See IFPTE’s letter supporting the House bill.

2) Legislative Director Faraz Khan continues to work with key Senators to procure a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill in the Senate. Call your Congressional Representative and ask them to cosponsor the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act.

3) Tell Congress: Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections. As stipulated above, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted last week to cut $51 billion over the next ten years from the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and make other changes that undermine our nonpartisan civil service. Congress will be considering passing these spending cuts in a budget reconciliation bill that will include between $1.5 to $2 trillion in spending cuts to offset a portion of $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations (the $2.5 to 3 billion in tax cuts that aren’t offset will result in a significant increase to the federal deficit). Slashing retirement benefits and reducing the take-home pay of federal workers will trigger an exodus of experienced and skilled federal workers and hollow out agencies that provide essential services and functions. Congress needs to hear from everyday Americans that lawmakers should be preserving the government’s ability to recruit and retain the best talent America has to offer to address the challenges our nation faces, support our national security and economic prosperity, provide the American people with high-quality services, and keep our communities safe. Even though the House Oversight Committee passed these cuts this week, it is not too late to weigh in. This fight is far from over. Email Your Representative and Senators and urge them to oppose any cuts to federal employees’ retirement benefits, any reductions to take-home pay, and any effort to force newly hired federal employees to choose between pay and civil service protections. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/

4) IFPTE reported last week that Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced two IFPTE-endorsed bills that would protect federal workers and give fired federal workers an opportunity to return to the civil service. The “Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees Act” or REHIRE Act would rebuild the federal workforce by providing a hiring preference for federal workers who were fired or otherwise involuntarily removed during the Trump Administration and the ‘‘Probationary Reduction for Employee Protections Act’’ or PREP Act would clarify that federal employees who are new to the competitive service have a 1-year probationary period, and employees who are moving to a new competitive service position from another position will have a 6-month probationary period. IFPTE is encouraging Locals to urge their House members to cosponsor these bills. 5) The Congressional Labor Caucus, led by pro-labor caucus Co-Chairs Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Steve Horsford (D-NV), have been leading voices inside Congress on the attacks on federal workers and their unions. On April 30, the Labor Caucus released its report on the Trump Administration’s attack on worker rights and labor unions across all sectors. Read the 10-page report here

Legal:

The legal report from last week remains unchanged. While an injunction on the Trump Union busting EO has been put in place in the NTEU lawsuit and does apply to all agencies impacted by the Executive Order, IFPTE-represented agencies are not recognizing the NTEU ruling. That said, IFPTE is hopeful that the AFGE case in California will be heard soon and result in the issuance of an injunction similar to the one issued in the NTEU lawsuit. See below:

1) EO 14251 – On April 28, the D.C. District Court issued an opinion to accompany its April 25 order issuing a preliminary injunction against Executive Order 14251. This EO attempts to strip collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the federal workforce under the pretext of a statutory national security exemption. The court specifically noted in its opinion that the union challenged the EO in its entirety and that the lack of evidence of any impact on national security correspondingly warrants “enjoining Section 2 of the Executive Order in its entirety.” (emphasis supplied). NTEU v. Trump, Case No. 1:25-cv-935 (D.D.C.), Dkt. 34 at 44-45.” This means that the administration is prevented from implementing the order at all, including in agencies like the Department of Defense and Social Security Administration, where IFPTE represents tens of thousands of workers. We note that the injunction has been appealed to the D.C. Circuit, and that we do expect the merits of the case to eventually reach the Supreme Court. See the NTEU lawsuit here.

2) As part of the overall litigation strategy, IFPTE is expected to join a similar coalition lawsuit when the time is right based on the litigation making its way through various courts to block the Executive Order. In preparation, IFPTE asks Locals impacted by the Executive Order to provide evidence of damage done to the Local and members due to the union busting EO. Please contact IFPTE General Counsel, Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org with any pertinent information regarding specific impacts from the imposition of the EO.

3) IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – We continue to include the March 11 memo from IFPTE GC, Teresa Ellis, and Greg McGillivary of the McGillivary Steele Elkin law firm regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees , given that OPM, OMB and DOGE mandated that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14. See that RIF guidance memo here.

See the February 26^th OPM memoinstructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in Union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14. IFPTE recommends that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.

4) Legal support for federal workers – Rise Up, Fight Back – Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have had their basic rights violated on the job—including tens of thousands who have been fired illegally. Federal workers have an urgent need for legal support. Federal workers now have a network of lawyers helping to get them the justice they deserve. See the GovExec article here. 5) Status of all lawsuits against the current administration can be found at Just Security: “Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

Grassroots

1) “Civil Service Strong” coalition – IFPTE is proud to announce our partnership with the Civil Service Strong project of Democracy Forward, along with other unions, to support our members who are civil servants under attack by the Trump administration. Alongside the 95% of people who believe civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their merit rather than their political beliefs, Civil Service Strong is committed to supporting a career, non-partisan civil service and the people who power it. Learn more here.

3) IFPTE Members are telling their Congressional lawmakers: “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protection” While IFPTE and other federal unions are working in coalition to oppose the inclusion of any “reforms” that increase the cost of federal employee benefits or cut benefits, lawmakers need to hear from their constituents. Email your Representative and Senators. The proposals under consideration go after civil service protections by making any newly hired federal workers choose between “at will” employment and paying a lower FERS contribution rate or retaining merit system rights and paying a higher FERS contribution rate. Merit system rights are not merely protections for federal workers, they protect Americans by providing accountable and professional management of government that works for the American public, not partisan causes and not corrupt private interests. Tell Congress to oppose any cuts or “reforms” to earned federal employment benefits, including changes to the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHB), as a cost offset for budget reconciliation legislation. Learn more here… https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-hands-off-federal-employees-retirement-benefits-and-merit-system-protections/

Public Relations and Communications

This week’s news clips featured a round-up of town hall meetings held in Congressional Districts across the country. Ever since the Musk/DOGE assault on the civil service began, some members of Congress have had the choice of facing angry constituents or hiding from them. Some of the highlights of this round-up include:

Michigan: Empty Chairs
Michigan Advance

Some members of the public expressed frustration at Barrett’s absence, arguing that he was not doing his job as a representative of the people. “We’re the ones paying their salaries; they live off our taxes, so they should represent us. But as you can see, he isn’t here. That’s just wrong,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a Lansing activist and resident.

https://michiganadvance.com/2025/04/23/absent-tom-barrett-7th-district-town-hall-meeting-lets-constituents-express-concerns-frustrations/

Florida: More Empty Chairs
The Guardian

Another voter, a resident of Levy county, said at the town hall they are concerned about cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the county is still recovering from Hurricane Helene last year. “We are still rebuilding,” they said. “I need you to represent us, not Trump.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/29/empty-chair-town-hall-republicans-florida

New York: Constituents Dragged Out of Chairs
Rolling Stone

Emily Feiner of Nyack was forcibly removed by New York State Police. “I’m not leaving,” she said. “You are taking on an old Jewish woman.” A police officer lifted her out of her seat by her armpits. She held up peace signs as two police officers carried her away. The audience chanted “Let her stay!” and “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and stood up and booed as she was removed.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-lawler-town-hall-chaos-woman-removed-1235331885/

Weekly Union Recap May 5, 2025

May 6, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

This week brought another flurry of activity by IFPTE and the larger labor movement to combat the Trump Administration’s illegal and unjustified attacks on federal workers. This week also saw the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by the Republican majority, pass a draconian set of proposals that cut federal pensions and implements other draconian, anti-federal worker proposals, to potentially be included in a budget reconciliation bill aimed to force federal workers and others to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. The proposals that passed the House Committee include:

Raises the FERS retirement contribution rate for all federal and postal employees to 4.4% of their salary.
Eliminates the FERS supplement payment for federal employees retiring before age 62 (federal occupations with retirement required before age 62 are exempted).
Bases a federal retiree’s annuity payment on their average highest five earning years, instead of the current highest three earning years.
Makes new federal employee hires choose to be “at will” employees without merit system protections or choose to maintain merit system protections and pay an additional 5% FERS contribution rate, totaling 9.4% of pay, which is effectively a 5% pay cut.
Charges federal employees a fee for Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) filings equivalent to the fee for filing a civil lawsuit in federal district court, which is $350.

You can read more about these proposals, which IFPTE, the larger movement, and IFPTE Locals have opposed, here.

Finally, IFPTE continues its work in building an E-Dues program that is expected to be launched next week in a pilot phase (Locals 1, 32, 121 and 1921), with other Locals to follow thereafter.

Legislative:

1) Congress came back from a two-week recess this week and IFPTE continues to urge Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives to cosponsor The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550) introduced three weeks ago by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order (EO) eliminating collective bargaining rights for 1.5 million federal workers. As of Friday, May 2, 199 members of Congress are sponsoring the bill, but we are working to have at least 218 cosponsors, which is also the number needed to force a discharge petition and full vote of the House of Representatives. See IFPTE’s letter supporting the House bill.

2) Legislative Director Faraz Khan continues to work with key Senators to procure a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick-Golden bill in the Senate. Call your Congressional Representative and ask them to cosponor the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act.

3) Tell Congress: Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protections. On Wednesday, April 30, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is proposing to cut $51 billion over the next ten years from the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and make other changes that undermine our nonpartisan civil service. Congress will be considering passing these spending cuts in a budget reconciliation bill that will include between $1.5 to $2 trillion in spending cuts to offset a portion of $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations (the $2.5 to 3 billion in tax cuts that aren’t offset will result in a significant increase to the federal deficit). Slashing retirement benefits and reducing the take-home pay of federal workers will trigger an exodus of experienced and skilled federal workers and hollow out agencies that provide essential services and functions. Congress needs to hear from everyday Americans that lawmakers should be preserving the government’s ability to recruit and retain the best talent America has to offer to address the challenges our nation faces, support our national security and economic prosperity, provide the American people with high-quality services, and keep our communities safe. Even though the House Oversight Committee passed these cuts this week, it is not too late to weigh in. This fight is far from over. Email Your Representative and Senators and urge them to oppose any cuts to federal employees’ retirement benefits, any reductions to take-home pay, and any effort to force newly hired federal employees to choose between pay and civil service protections.

4) Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced two IFPTE-endorsed bills that would protect federal workers and give fired federal workers an opportunity to return to the civil service. The “Restoring Employment and Hiring Incentives for Removed Employees Act” or REHIRE Act would rebuild the federal workforce by providing a hiring preference for federal workers who were fired or otherwise involuntarily removed during the Trump Administration and the ‘‘Probationary Reduction for Employee Protections Act’’ or PREP Act would clarify that federal employees who are new to the competitive service have a 1-year probationary period, and employees who are moving to a new competitive service position from another position will have a 6-month probationary period. Read more here.

5) The Congressional Labor Caucus, led by pro-labor caucus Co-Chairs Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Steve Horsford (D-NV), have been leading voices inside Congress on the attacks on federal workers and their unions. On April 30, the Labor Caucus released its report on the Trump Administration’s attack on workers’ rights and labor union across all sectors. Read the 10-page report here [PDF].

Legal:

1) EO 14251 – On April 28, the D.C. District Court issued an opinion to accompany its April 25 order issuing a preliminary injunction against Executive Order 14251. This EO attempts to strip collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the federal workforce under the pretext of a statutory national security exemption. The court specifically noted in its opinion that the union challenged the EO in its entirety and that the lack of evidence of any impact on national security correspondingly warrants “enjoining Section 2 of the Executive Order in its entirety.” (emphasis supplied). NTEU v. Trump, Case No. 1:25-cv-935 (D.D.C.), Dkt. 34 at 44-45.” This means that the administration is prevented from implementing the order at all, including in agencies like the Department of Defense and Social Security Administration, where IFPTE represents tens of thousands of workers. We note that the injunction has been appealed to the D.C. Circuit, and that we do expect the merits of the case to eventually reach the Supreme Court. See the NTEU lawsuit here.

2) As part of the overall litigation strategy, IFPTE is expected to join a similar coalition lawsuit when the time is right based on the litigation making its way through various courts to block the Executive Order. In preparation, IFPTE asks Locals impacted by the Executive Order to provide evidence of damage done to the Local and members due to the union busting EO. Please contact IFPTE General Counsel, Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org with any pertinent information regarding specific impacts from the imposition of the EO.

3) IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – We continue to include the March 11 memo from IFPTE GC, Teresa Ellis, and Greg McGillivary of the McGillivary Steele Elkin law firm regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees, given that OPM, OMB and DOGE mandated that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14. See that RIF guidance memo here.

See the February 26 OPM memo instructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in Union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14. IFPTE recommends that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.

4) Legal support for federal workers – Rise Up, Fight Back – Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have had their basic rights violated on the job—including tens of thousands who have been fired illegally. Federal workers have an urgent need for legal support. Federal workers now have a network of lawyers helping to get them the justice they deserve. See the GovExec article here.

5) Status of all lawsuits against the current administration can be found at Just Security: “Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.”

Grassroots

3) IFPTE Members are telling their Congressional lawmakers: “Hands Off Federal Employees’ Retirement Benefits and Merit System Protection” While IFPTE and other federal unions are working in coalition to oppose the inclusion of any “reforms” that increase the cost of federal employee benefits or cut benefits, lawmakers need to hear from their constituents. Email your Representative and Senators. The proposals under consideration go after civil service protections by making any newly hired federal workers choose between “at will” employment and paying a lower FERS contribution rate or retaining merit system rights and paying a higher FERS contribution rate. Merit system rights are not merely protections for federal workers, they protect Americans by providing accountable and professional management of government that works for the American public, not partisan causes and not corrupt private interests. Tell Congress to oppose any cuts or “reforms” to earned federal employment benefits, including changes to the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) and Federal Employees Health Program (FEHB), as a cost offset for budget reconciliation legislation. Learn more here…

Public Relations and Communications

1) IFPTE’s Mobilization Clearinghouse Visit IFPTE’s central location to find information on labor events, rallies, and Congressional email and call-in campaigns as we collectively fight to defend federal government workers and union rights and protect our democracy. If you have an upcoming event or action that you’d like to add to this list, please send information to info@ifpte.org.

2) IFPTE continues to keep members informed about news within the federal and related topics with its regular clips emails. If you’d like to sign up to receive our clips, please fill out this form. Recent headlines of note:

HEADLINE: Trump 100 days: tariffs, egg prices, Ice arrests and approval rating – in charts
The Guardian

BLUF: Bad stuff going up, good stuff going down.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/30/trumps-first-100-days-charts

HEADLINE: Even if you don’t depend on Medicaid, you’ll likely be hurt if Republicans cut it
MSNBC

If congressional Republicans and Trump include Medicaid cuts in the federal budget, then they’d start a dramatic nationwide cascade of harm in red and blue states — and in rural, suburban and urban areas. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/medicaid-cuts-republicans-trump-rcna203010

Weekly Union Recap April 25, 2025

April 28, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE to Launch New Dues System
The International is working to implement a dues system that will operate independently from the federal government. This process will provide current and prospective members the ability to join our union at any time, while ensuring their privacy from the administration. Read more…

IFPTE Joins “Civil Service Strong” Coalition
IFPTE is proud to announce our partnership with the Civil Service Strong project of Democracy Forward, along with other unions and allies, to support our members who are civil servants under attack by the Trump administration. Alongside the 95% of people who believe civil servants should be hired and promoted based on their merit rather than their political beliefs, Civil Service Strong is committed to supporting a career, non-partisan civil service and the people who power it. Read more…

IFPTE’s Mobilization Clearinghouse
Visit IFPTE’s clearinghouse to find information on labor events, rallies, and Congressional email and call-in campaigns to collectively fight and defend federal government workers and union rights and protect our democracy. If you have an upcoming event or action that you’d like to add to this list, please send information to info@ifpte.org.

We encourage all to contact your lawmakers in Congress and tell them to:

1 ) Oppose Cuts for Federal Employee Retirement Benefits in the Budget Reconciliation Bill;
2) Oppose Cuts to Medicaid in the Budget Reconciliation Bill

Local 196 Members Join First Responders in Fighting New Jersey Wildfires
IFPTE Local 196 members employed by the Garden State Parkway joined New Jersey’s first responders this week in fighting back the massive wildfires that have burned 13,250 acres of land in Lacey and Ocean townships, and along the Garden State Parkway. Read more…

Society Attends Canadian Nuclear Conference 2025
Members and elected leaders from the Society of United Professionals (SUP/IFPTE Local 160) participated in the Canadian Nuclear Association conference held from April 15 to 17. During the event, Society President Rebecca Caron spoke about the essential steps needed to build a skilled energy workforce for the future. Read more…

IFPTE Honors and Thanks EA/IFPTE Local 1937 President, Carolyn Wilson, Upon Her Retirement
Engineering Association (EA/IFPTE Local 1937) President, Carolyn Wilson, announced her retirement this week after four decades of service to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). She also announced her retirement as President of the EA/IFPTE Local 1937, where she also served as Vice President and EA board member for over twenty years. Read more…

Canadian Federal Election: IFPTE Supports CLC Blueprint for Building a Better Future for Working People
The IFPTE supports the Canadian Labour Congress’s (CLC) call to challenge all political parties to put working families first in the federal election being held on April 28. The Workers Together platform, Building a Better Future for Working People, was launched to provide a clear blueprint for the next government at a time when Canadians face mounting pressures from all sides. Read more…

Dominick D. Critelli, Jr. Scholarship Award is Open for Applications
The Dominick D. Critelli, Jr. Scholarship Award application/information is available until May 15. IFPTE will award four college scholarships of $2,500 each to children or grandchildren of IFPTE members. Read more…

Labor News

AFL-CIO Department of People Who Work for a Living
The AFL-CIO’s newest Department, The Department of People Who Work for a Living, starkly contrasts with the Trump Administration’s so-called DOGE. While DOGE is attempting to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, the Department of People Who Work for a Living is fighting to support dedicated, hard-working federal workers serving the public daily. IFPTE encourages members to learn more about the new Department here…

Weekly Union Recap April 18, 2025

April 22, 2025April 28, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

Over 1,000 Southern California Edison Workers File for Union Election with ESC Local 20
On Thursday, April 17, over 1,000 planners, designers, and field technicians at Southern California Edison filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. These workers play a crucial role at SCE, ensuring the delivery of essential utilities to millions across Central, Coastal, and Southern California. Read more…

IFPTE Local 21’s Fight to Protect Medicaid from Cuts Gains Traction with Bipartisan Congressional Commitment
Earlier this week, 12 Republicans in the House of Representatives signed on to a letter to House Republican leadership and the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee warning against cuts to Medicaid in an upcoming Budget Reconciliation bill. Several of the signatures on the letter are the result of the commitment and efforts of IFPTE Local 21 and the Local’s work with other unions in their coalition. Read more…

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IFPTE Calls on Lawmakers to Support Bipartisan Bill to Repeal Trump Union Busting Order
IFPTE continues to aggressively urge lawmakers to cosponsor the Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550), bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Jared Golden to repeal President Trump’s latest Union-Busting executive order. Read more…

RELATED:
IFPTE Applauds Senators Collins, Murkowski, Schatz, and Warner for their Bipartisan Letter Requesting President Reconsider EO Removing Federal Workers Bargaining Rights

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Society Research Officer Deputes at Toronto City Hall
The Society of United Professionals/IFPTE Local 160’s Research Officer Nathan Jackson deputed before City of Toronto’s Executive Committee on March 19 to express the Society’s full support for the mayor’s tariff response action plan. Read more…

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Society Speaks on Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit Panel
The Society of United Professionals/IFPTE Local 160’s President, Rebecca Caron, participated in a panel organized by the Canadian Labour Congress – Congrès du travail du Canada at the Broadbent Institute | Institut Broadbent’s Progress Summit. Rebecca spoke about the importance of securing long-term plans from the government for the development of energy infrastructure. Read more…

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IFPTE Participates in Howard University’s “Summer for Democracy” Teach-In
IFPTE President Matt Biggs, Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson, and Legislative Director Faraz Khan participated in Howard University’s “Summer for Democracy” teach-in. The teach-in was organized by Howard University students with the Howard University Capel as the lead sponsor. Read more…

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SCMMA Launches Online Store
SCMMA/IFPTE Local 222 has launched an online store featuring branded SCMMA merchandise for purchase. Show your pride and support for the Local union by purchasing these exclusive items. From stylish apparel to practical accessories, there’s something for everyone. Check it out…

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IFPTE’s Mobilization Clearinghouse
Visit IFPTE’s central location to find information on labor events, rallies, and Congressional email and call-in campaigns as we collectively fight to defend federal government workers and union rights, and protect our democracy. If you have an upcoming event or action that you’d like to add to this list, please send information to info@ifpte.org.

__________

Labour News

AFL-CIO Department of People Who Work for a Living
The AFL-CIO’s newest Department, The Department of People Who Work for a Living, starkly contrasts the Trump Administration’s so-called DOGE. While DOGE is attempting to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, the Department of People Who Work for a Living is fighting to support dedicated and hard-working federal workers serving the public daily. IFPTE encourages members to learn more about the new Department here…

Weekly Union Recap April 14, 2025

April 14, 2025 / ifpte400 / Leave a comment

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE continued our work this week on Capitol Hill, on the ground at the grassroots level, and in the legal arena to fight against the attacks on federal workers, federal agencies and on federal unions. IFPTE legislative director, Faraz Khan, was joined by IFPTE international representative, David LaFemina on Capitol Hill this week to meet with key staff to support recently introduced bipartisan legislation to reverse the latest Trump Executive Order (EO) to do away with collective bargaining rights and union dues payroll deduction. Below are details of this week’s activities.

Legislative:

1) IFPTE is urging Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives to cosponsor The Protect America’s Workers Act (HR 2550) introduced last week by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden to repeal the Trump Executive Order eliminating collective bargaining rights for nearly 1 million federal workers. IFPTE obviously supports the bill and is hopeful to acquire enough cosponsors to trigger a discharge petition which would allow the bill to bypass committee action and be sent directly to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.

2) Legislative Director Faraz Khan continues to work with key Senators to procure a similar bill to the Fitzpatrick/Golden bill in the Senate.

3) Relatedly, Congressman Fitzpatrick also led a Republican only letter to President Trump asking him to rescind the Executive Order. See the GovExec article here.

4) IFPTE sent a letter to all Members of the House of Representatives urging them to vote No on a Budget Resolution that aims for $2 trillion in budget cuts, extends tax cuts that create $5.8 trillion in deficits, and instructs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to identify budget cuts of $50 billion over 10 years to be included in a Budget Reconciliation bill. These cuts are likely to come from increasing the cost that federal employees pay for their retirement and health benefits or cutting benefits. The Budget Resolution passed in the House by a vote of 218 to 216 and the House will begin crafting a Budget Reconciliation bill. Unlike all other legislation that needs 60 votes in the Senate to proceed, a Budget Reconciliation bill can move through and be passed by the Senate with a simple majority. IFPTE has been working in coalition with other federal unions to talk to Republican offices about why these changes to federal retirement and health benefits are unfair to federal workers, counterproductive, and ultimately harmful to their constituents. IFPTE members and supporters can take action and contact their Members of Congress here.

Legal:

1) AFGE filed a lawsuit with five other Unions on Monday in Federal Court in San Francisco asking the Courts to block the Trump Executive Order. See the Reuters article here.

2) IFPTE is expected to join a similar lawsuit in the coming week or so to block the Executive Order. In doing so, IFPTE put out a call asking Locals impacted by the Executive Order to provide evidence of repudiation of contracts or contract language, refusal to process grievances, or any other relevant injury to the Local and its members due to the Union-Busting Executive Order. Please contact IFPTE General Counsel, Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org with any pertinent information.

3) IFPTE RIF guidance to Locals – A March 11^th memo from IFPTE GC Teresa Ellis and Greg McGillivary from the McGillivary law firm, regarding Reductions-In-Force (RIFs) and Mass Terminations of Federal Employees was sent in early-March to all IFPTE Federal Locals. Given that OPM, OMB and DOGE are mandating that federal agencies produce RIF lists by April 14^th, we are including that guidance here in this week’s update for IFPTE Locals. See that RIF guidance memo and

· Contact IFPTE General Counsel, Teresa Ellis at tellis@ifpte.org to get a copy of the RIF guidance memo.

· See the February 26^th OPM-issued memo instructing agencies to largely ignore RIF language in Union negotiated CBA’s and calling on agencies to identify positions to RIF by April 14. IFPTE is recommending that Locals file grievances if management refuses to abide negotiated RIF language in their respective CBAs.

4) IFPTE is a named plaintiff in the following lawsuits: While there are many Union and other lawsuits challenging the illegal actions of the Trump/Musk administration, below are the lawsuits (in addition to the above Privacy Act lawsuit) that IFPTE and IFPTE Locals are a named plaintiff in:

· NTEU-led lawsuit to protect probationary workers and other fed workers from wholesale firings and to save public services. The government has asked for a 30-day extension for its response, which is helpful for us as well.

· AALJ/IFPTE Judicial Council 1 and AFGE Privacy Act lawsuit to block DOGE from accessing personal and employment records through OPM.

· Class action/collected individual appeals for fired probationary workers – See IFPTE’s guidance to Locals regarding avenues for terminated probationary workers.

Status of all other lawsuits as tracked by Just Security: IFPTE members can view the status of all lawsuits filed about federal workers, Privacy Act, and other matters at the Just Security “Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.”

Public Relations and Communications:

IFPTE continues to keep members informed about news within the federal and related topics with its regular clips emails. If you’d like to sign up to receive our clips, please fill out this form. Recent headlines of note:

NPR: Shortage of immigration judges could slow down Trump deportation goals
IFPTE President Matt Biggs describes yet another self-defeating Trump policy as “a head scratcher,” responding to the administration’s decision to target the very workers responsible for making the immigration system work.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5335523/shortage-of-immigration-judges-could-slow-down-trump-deportation-goals.

The Daily Beast: DOGE Goons Cause Major Crash to Social Security Site
“The website crash isn’t the first symptom of problems after DOGE moved in. People have also reported long wait times on calls, the loss of direct deposit payments, and online accounts malfunctioning.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musks-doge-goons-cause-major-crash-to-social-security-site/

Nonprofit Quarterly: The Case for Solidarity Between Nonprofit and Federal Workers
“Nonprofit workers who are already members of unions should add their voices to federal workers fighting to protect the services they provide. In our organizations, we must flex our organizing muscles and engage management in conversations around solidarity with federal workers.”

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/the-case-for-solidarity-between-nonprofit-and-federal-workers/

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on
Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on
Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on
Trump/Musk and DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers

IFPTE Federal Sector Round Up on Trump/Musk and
DOGE Attacks on Federal Workers