US Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has hailed the decision by a federal judge to temporarily block the United States President Donald Trump administration’s efforts to rescind collective bargaining rights from employees at nearly a dozen government agencies and departments.
Recall that the recent order from US District Judge Paul Friedman requires federal agencies to engage with their employees’ unions and to resume collecting dues payments, among other normal employee relations business.
Friedman’s order covers employees at the departments of Justice, Treasury, Energy, the Office of Personnel Management, Health and Human Services, and other major agencies.
Trump had last month issued an executive order that purported to rescind the longstanding rights of most public employees to join unions that represent them in collective bargaining over their employment terms.
The US leader also moved to end those unions’ existing contracts with the government.
His executive order relied on an obscure wartime provision in federal labour laws that authorises the president to exempt agencies engaged in national security work.
However, during a hearing a few days ago, Friedman said that the administration’s moves appeared targeted towards unions that had opposed his agenda.
Reacting, Schumer, in a post on X over the weekend, said he stands with the union.
“A good step! We stand with union workers,” Schumer said.
