Once A Union Buster, Always a Union Buster

On Thursday March 27th, President Donald Trump issues an executive order ending collective bargaining rights of nearly a million federal workers. Unions directly affected by the union-busting order vowed to file lawsuits, and unions across the country released statements.

From IATSE:

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) condemns the Trump administration’s executive order stripping ~700,000 federal workers of their right to join together and collectively bargain. This unfounded and politically motivated attack on workers and freedom of speech, freedom of contract, and freedom of association constitutes the most egregious attack on the labor movement in United States history.

The Administration is attempting to silence the very workers who inspect our food, care for our veterans, and protect our communities. Why? Because as workers we have real power when we stand together, and the President knows it. It’s retaliation against unions for doing their legal duty: stand up and defend workers on the job, in court, and in Congress. These rights-stripping executive actions are a warning to every working person in this country: if you use your free speech to stand up for yourself, you’re next.

The Administration’s actions are the very definition of union-busting and we’ve seen it before. In 2004, then–reality TV host Donald Trump crossed an IATSE picket line in New York City during a labor dispute on The Apprentice. Today, we see nothing has changed. Once a union buster, always a union buster.

Entertainment workers know what it means to fight for a voice on the job. Behind the scenes, IATSE members build the sets, light the stages, and so much more to make the magic happen. Like Federal workers, our work can feel invisible—and too often we are treated as expendable. That’s why solidarity matters. When one group of workers loses their rights, it weakens all of us. When one group is silenced, the entire labor movement must amplify its voice in unison.

Unions aren’t going anywhere. A strong 70% supermajority of Americans approve of the labor movement, far higher than the approval of any politician in either political party. Now is the time to organize, mobilize, and fight back together.

FROM AFL-CIO President Liz Schuler: 

Straight out of Project 2025, this executive order is the very definition of union-busting. It strips the fundamental right to unionize and collectively bargain from workers across the federal government at more than 30 agencies. The workers who make sure our food is safe to eat, care for our veterans, protect us from public health emergencies and much more will no longer have a voice on the job or the ability to organize with their coworkers for better conditions at work so they can efficiently provide the services the public relies upon. 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. 

To every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers, now is the time to be even louder. The labor movement is not about to let Trump and an unelected billionaire destroy what we’ve fought for generations to build. We will fight this outrageous attack on our members with every fiber of our collective being.