The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has asked a federal judge to issue an injunction to block provisions of President Trump’s recently issued executive orders impacting federal employee unions.
NTEU filed for the injunction on June 8. It is included at the end of this article.
The injunction is the second attempt the union is making to try to block provisions of the executive orders. The first effort came in the form of a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration. The suit contends that two of the EOs conflict with existing federal law, specifically the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. For details, see NTEU Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Orders.
“Federal employees should not lose their lawful rights granted by Congress at the president’s misguided stroke of a pen,” NTEU National President Tony Reardon said in a statement about the injunction that was filed. “No harm can come from leaving the current collective bargaining system in place while the legal challenges against the orders proceed.”
About the Executive Orders
The recent EOs in question would eventually likely result in changes that will impact federal employee unions. The underlying assumption appears to be that the use of paid time for union representatives is not in the public interest and that union business is hindering agencies from accomplishing their mission.
The new executive order notes employees are expected to spend at least three-quarters of their time during a fiscal year performing their function as a federal employee and not as a union representative being paid by the federal government.
The orders will also result in the government charging unions rent for federal office space and and eliminating reimbursement for travel expenses or for hours spent appealing worker firings. For more details, see Restricting Federal Unions and Firing Poor Performers and Controlling Federal Unions’ Use of Official Time.
NTEU Injunction Re: Executive Orders
