The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unilaterally dissolved a collective bargaining agreement with members of the union that represents its workers, the union said Friday.
“The Trump administration and EPA’s unlawful and authoritarian move to unilaterally strip EPA workers of their collective bargaining agreement and workplace rights is nothing short of an assault on our democracy, the rule of law, and the lives of working people in America,” said Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents 8,000 EPA staffers, in a written statement.
“When you strip the rights of EPA workers, you weaken the EPA’s ability to do its job and ensure Americans can drink clean water and breathe clean air – and that’s exactly what [President] Trump, [EPA Administrator Lee] Zeldin, and their billionaire supporters want,” Chen added.
He also said the union would fight the decision, saying “AFGE Council 238 is united in our fight to defend our rights, our agency’s mission, and to protect the future of our country and planet. We will see the administration in court.”
“EPA is working to diligently implement President Trump’s Executive Orders with respect to AFGE, including ‘Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs,’ in compliance with the law.” an EPA spokesperson told The Hill on Friday.
The EPA’s apparent move comes after a similar decision at the Department of Veterans Affairs this week. Both actions come after a federal court sided with the Trump administration on whether it can rescind such contracts.
It also comes amid a broader effort to target the federal workforce, with thousands of people across the government being fired.
Updated at 6:40 p.m. EDT
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