Labor News & Commentary April 27 Harvard unions rally amid attacks on the university & more

[Omaha Steve]

https://onlabor.org/april-27-2025/

By Otto Barenberg

Otto Barenberg is a student at Harvard Law School and the Digital Director of OnLabor.

In today’s news and commentary, a federal judge blocks Trump from stripping federal workers’ labor rights, AFGE is cutting over 50% of its staff, and Harvard unions rally amid attacks on the university.

On Friday, a federal judge blocked a Trump executive order that purported to strip collective bargaining rights from over one million federal workers. The Trump directive exempted federal employees across over 40 agencies from federal labor protections, invoking the President’s authority under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS) to exclude agencies that have as a “primary function . . . national security work.” The exemptions cover the Departments of Defense, Energy, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, along with substantial portions of the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services. Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the National Treasury Employees Union’s motion for a preliminary injunction, which NTEU President Doreen Greenwald called “a victory for federal employees.” “The preliminary injunction granted at NTEU’s request means the collective bargaining rights of federal employees will remain intact and the administration’s unlawful agenda to silence the voices of federal employees and dismantle unions is blocked,” Greenwald told Bloomberg Law. Importantly, the preliminary injunction covers Office of Personnel Management directives that have halted automatic dues collection at numerous federal agencies.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal workers, is planning to cut nearly 60% of its staff in the coming months. AFGE will reduce its workforce from 355 to approximately 150, cutting organizers, national representatives, support staff, and others across the organization’s Washington, D.C. and regional offices. In a statement, AFGE blamed the Administration’s curtailment of automatic dues deductions — temporarily halted by Judge Friedman — for the layoffs: “From Day 1 this Administration has sought to stamp out the voices of patriotic civil servants, and these attacks on their unions are no different. The President’s elimination of elective membership dues and the resulting layoffs are a setback, but they are not the end of AFGE — not by a longshot.” AFGE has led the charge against Trump’s efforts to gut the federal workforce, filing lawsuits to block terminations of probationary employees and to prevent Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive employee data.

Today, unionized workers across Harvard University are rallying in support of the school’s stand against the Trump Administration — and in support of the workers, especially non-citizens, most affected by the ongoing attacks on the university. In March, Harvard implemented a university-wide hiring freeze; student workers and faculty have expressed concern over increased class sizes and the maintenance of smaller programs. “Many fields of study will vanish, and many languages simply won’t be offered,” said Jules Riegel, a lecturer in History and Literature. The precarious status of non-citizens has caused alarm among Harvard workers. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, international workers demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the Harvard community, ensuring its safety while risking their own lives and the wellbeing of their families. Now, it is the university’s turn to stand in solidarity with these individuals,” Doris Reina-Landaverde, a custodian and shop steward of 32BJ SEIU, told The Guardian.