WASHINGTON, CMC – Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke has described President Donald J. Trump as “a proud and unrepentant union buster” following his assault on the labor motion right here.
“There is no such thing as a room for debate – our president is a proud and unrepentant union buster,” Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, informed the Caribbean Media Company (CMC).
“By Donald Trump’s latest govt order, his administration has dedicated probably the most important and extreme assaults on the labor motion in America’s historical past.
“Tragically, it stands as solely the most recent assault towards our civil servants who’ve been ceaselessly insulted, threatened, and harmed by the Trump administration because the day it got here to energy,” added the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“And let’s be clear: the Departments of Agriculture, Protection, Well being and Human Companies, Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs, USAID, and the EPA will every be immeasurably weakened by this order, considerably impacting the company providers tens of millions of Individuals depend on.”
Clarke mentioned that sincere individuals acknowledge that collective bargaining is the perfect, handiest approach for staff and employers to succeed in a good and mutually helpful labor settlement.
“That’s the reason America’s federal staff deserve the suitable to cut price their circumstances of employment collectively, and why, at his core, Donald Trump fears the power and resilience of unions, as a result of unions will all the time stand as one of many final strains of protection towards his unlawful battle on the federal workforce.
“I’ve little doubt he and his administration is not going to relaxation, yield, or again down an inch till they’ve damaged each regulation and each establishment essential to steal this software from federal staff and guarantee their management over each aspect of our authorities is absolute,” she mentioned.
Clarke is asking on Congress to sentence Trump’s overreach and defend the labor motion from “his disgusting try and dismantle their energy.
“I stand with our federal unions after I say: we’ll see this scab president in court docket.”
On Friday, US labor unions representing federal authorities staff throughout the nation sued Trump over his try and override the regulation by govt order and strip a couple of million federal authorities workers of their union rights.
Based on the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Workers (AFSCME), the lawsuit, filed within the US District Courtroom for the Northern District of California, alleges that Trump’s govt order is a retaliatory try and punish federal worker unions which have been partaking in constitutionally protected speech.
AFSCME mentioned unions have repeatedly received court docket victories after suing in opposition to the Trump administration’s actions focusing on federal staff.
AFSCME mentioned the brand new grievance cites a White Home truth sheet that particularly references an announcement made by the lead plaintiff, the American Federation of Authorities Workers (AFGE), which represents greater than 820,000 federal workers.
Moreover, the lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration “overbroadly utilized the nationwide safety exemption to eradicate collective bargaining rights for over 1,000,000 staff whose major capabilities aren’t associated to nationwide safety.”
AFSCME mentioned these workers work at businesses and departments such because the Division of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Safety Company, the Meals Security and Inspection Service, and several other others.
Bredhoff and Kaiser filed the lawsuit. Different plaintiffs becoming a member of AFGE within the lawsuit are AFSCME, the Nationwide Affiliation of Authorities Workers (NAGE-SEIU), the Nationwide Federation of Federal Workers (NFFE-IAM), Nationwide Nurses United (NNU), and the Service Workers Worldwide Union (SEIU), which collectively signify greater than 950,000 federal workers.
“Federal staff and all AFSCME members have been making their voices heard in court docket and on the streets to guard public providers and their jobs. They received’t let billionaires raid our communities with out consequence – and that’s why they’re dealing with retaliation,” mentioned AFSCME President Lee Saunders.
AFGE Nationwide President Everett Kelley mentioned his union is “not going to be intimidated by a bully throwing a mood tantrum as a result of our union is thrashing them within the court docket of regulation and the court docket of public opinion.
“Federal workers have had the suitable to hitch a union and cut price collectively for many years – by a number of wars, worldwide conflicts, and a worldwide well being emergency throughout President Trump’s first time period,” he mentioned.
“Throughout all that point, they served the American individuals with honor and distinction.
NAGE Nationwide President David J. Holway mentioned Trump’s “illegal order isn’t simply an assault on federal staff—it’s an assault on the general public.
“NAGE members guarantee veterans get the care they deserve, assist our army, shield the environment, and maintain our authorities operating. By stripping away their rights, this administration is intentionally weakening public providers and placing political loyalty forward of ability and expertise.
“If this order stands, those who will endure most are the American individuals,” Holway added.
Based on a White Home Reality Sheet, Trump signed an Govt Order “utilizing authority granted by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA) to finish collective bargaining” with federal unions in businesses with nationwide safety missions.
“President Trump is taking motion to make sure that businesses very important to nationwide safety can execute their missions at once and shield the American individuals,” the White Home Reality Sheet acknowledged, including, “The president wants a responsive and accountable civil service to guard our nationwide safety.”
