Jonathan P. Baird

Possibly readers recall the livestream discussion last August between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Then-candidate Trump lavished praise on Musk for his talent in firing workers. Trump enthusiastically said striking workers should be fired. It was a result he embraced.

So it should not be surprising that the new Trump administration has turned out to be the most anti-labor government of my lifetime, even surpassing the Reagan-era of mass PATCO firings. The Trump-Musk blitzkrieg through federal agencies has been a continuing assault. Layoffs and federal agency closures have been the agenda.

President Trump has tried to close entirely U.S. AID, the Department of Education, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Other agencies like Health and Human Services, the IRS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have faced huge layoffs and cuts. The Trump administration even cut 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration who were tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile. They had to rescind those terminations when they realized the job duties of the people fired.

Tens of thousands of employees across the federal government have lost their jobs and thousands more remain worried they are next. The Washington Post has obtained an internal White House document outlining plans for 22 federal agencies to cut between 8 and 50 percent of their employees.

The Musk/DOGE chainsaw has been butchering. There is a trail of litigation behind the anti-worker measures with some initial results favorable to workers. Court orders have forced some reinstatements but it is hard to imagine how devastated agencies will be made whole again.

The Trump administration has also targeted specific individuals at a number of independent agencies. These were people in positions of power who they saw as opposing their agenda like leaders at the NLRB and the EEOC. Litigation remains ongoing about whether leaders who were congressionally authorized to serve will be able to complete their terms.

The effort to purge diversity, equity and inclusion from the federal government must be mentioned. The Trump mission is the re-establishment of white and male supremacy. This is part of an attempt to rewrite our history to whitewash our national sins of racism and sexism. Trumpers want a faux America historical fantasyland where the past is blindingly white, pure and censored.

Still, all the anti-worker efforts are less consequential than Trump’s newest Executive Order that claimed to end collective bargaining rights for nearly the whole federal workforce. It is estimated that 700,000 to one million federal workers could be affected.

It is not an exaggeration to say this is an existential threat to the entire American labor movement. The tech sector of the capitalist class as well as other major companies like Walmart and Target have no time for unions and they fight them relentlessly. If the billionaire class can destroy federal unions, they will be coming for private sector unions next.

We are past the time when the billionaire class accepted accommodation with unions. They believe in hierarchy and the tech sector especially sees itself as a cognitive elite who deserve to rule without restraint. The billionaire class is teeing up cases to argue that the NLRB is unconstitutional. Their game plan is to get rid of unions altogether.

Trump’s Executive Order says its purpose is to “enhance the national security of the United States”. But the federal unions have had collective bargaining agreements for many years with no issues about safety or security. As the President of the AFL-CIO, Liz Shuler, said:

“It’s clear that this order is punishment for unions who are leading the fight against the administration’s illegal actions in court – and a blatant attempt to silence us.”

I think retaliation against federal unions because of their success in litigation against the Trump administration is the most likely reason for the Executive Order. Also, Project 2025 called for banning all public sector unions and, despite denials, Trump has been a slavish follower of that agenda.

The Trump administration is arguing that the federal unions cannot represent federal workers at the bargaining table or in court. It is not just that they are opposing what has been agreed-to in collective bargaining agreements. They are saying that based on this Executive Order, the federal unions do not have the right to represent the workers. It is a way to kneecap all workers and leave them without a voice.

In looking at how this story has been reported in the mass media, one thing has not been appreciated. Executive Orders are not law. Even though the Trump administration is relying on such decrees, they are not equivalent to statutes or regulations passed by Congress but you might think they are. Of course, it will ultimately be up to the Supreme Court to decide how much deference executive orders get. The Court will decide if such directives are within a President’s authority.

There is a strong legal argument Trump is overreaching. And federal unions will certainly contest the new Executive Order. Trump has issued 104 Executive Orders in his first 70 days in office. He is ignoring the reality that the presidency was created as part of a compact specifying limited government with three co-equal branches. He is using Executive Orders as a new form of dictatorial rule where he bulldozes the other branches of government.

This is not the first time federal workers have faced a brutal attack. It also happened during the Joe McCarthy period when loyalty investigations were used to derail pro-worker advocacy. Now though, the billionaire class faces a less cowed, better-organized opposition. Workers have had enough of the regressive cutbacks Trump, Musk and DOGE are pushing. We must not let them gut the federal government.