Caribbean-American Congresswoman Condemns Trump’s Attack on Labor Unions
WASHINGTON, DC – Caribbean-American Democratic Congresswoman, Yvette D. Clarke, has described President Donald J. Trump as “a proud and unrepentant union buster,” following his attack on the labor movement here.
(File Photo)“There is no room for debate – our president is a proud and unrepentant union buster,” Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“Through Donald Trump’s recent executive order, his administration has committed one of the most significant and severe attacks on the labor movement in America’s history.
“Tragically, it stands as only the latest assault against our civil servants who have been ceaselessly insulted, threatened and harmed by the Trump administration since the day it came to power,” added the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“And let’s be clear: the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, State and Veterans Affairs, USAID, and the EPA will each be immeasurably weakened by this order, significantly impacting the agency services millions of Americans rely on.”
Clarke said that honest people recognize that collective bargaining is the best, most effective way for workers and employers to reach a fair and mutually beneficial labor agreement.
“That is why America’s federal workers deserve the right to collectively bargain their conditions of employment, and why, at his core, Donald Trump fears the strength and resilience of unions, because unions will always stand as one of the last lines of defense against his illegal war on the federal workforce.
“I have no doubt he and his administration will not rest, yield, or back down an inch until they have broken every law and every institution necessary to steal this necessary tool from federal workers and ensure their control over every element of our government is absolute,” she said.
Clarke is calling on Congress to condemn Trump’s overreach and defend the labor movement from “his disgusting attempt to dismantle their power.
“I stand with our federal unions when I say: we’ll see this scab president in court.”
On Friday, US labor unions representing federal government workers across the country sued Trump over the his attempt to override the law through executive order and strip more than one million federal government employees of their union rights.
According to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Trump’s executive order is a retaliatory attempt to punish federal employee unions that have been engaging in constitutionally protected speech.
AFSCME said unions have repeatedly scored court victories after suing in opposition to actions taken by the Trump administration targeting federal workers.
AFSCME said the new complaint cites a White House fact sheet that specifically referenced a statement made by the lead plaintiff, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents more than 820,000 federal employees.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration “overbroadly applied the national security exemption to eliminate collective bargaining rights for over a million workers whose primary functions are not related to national security.”
AFSCME said those employees work at agencies and departments like the Department of Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency, Food Safety and Inspection Service, and several others.
The lawsuit was filed by Bredhoff and Kaiser. Other plaintiffs joining AFGE in the lawsuit are AFSCME, National Association of Government Employees (NAGE-SEIU), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), National Nurses United (NNU), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who collectively represent more than 950,000 federal employees.
“Federal workers and all AFSCME members have been making their voices heard in court and on the streets to protect public services and their jobs. They won’t let billionaires raid our communities without consequence – and that’s why they’re facing retaliation,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.
AFGE National President, Everett Kelley, said his union is “not going to be intimidated by a bully who is throwing a temper tantrum because our union is beating them in the court of law and in the court of public opinion.
“Federal employees have had the right to join a union and bargain collectively for decades – through multiple wars, international conflicts, and a global health emergency during President Trump’s first term,” he said.
“During all that time, they served the American people with honor and distinction.
NAGE National President David J. Holway said Trump’s “unlawful order isn’t just an attack on federal workers—it’s an attack on the public.
“NAGE members make sure veterans get the care they deserve, support our military, protect our environment, and keep our government running. By stripping away their rights, this administration is deliberately weakening public services and putting political loyalty ahead of skill and experience.
“If this order stands, the ones who will suffer most are the American people,” Holway added.
According to a White House Fact Sheet, Trump signed an Executive Order “using authority granted by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA) to end collective bargaining” with federal unions in agencies with national security missions.
“President Trump is taking action to ensure that agencies vital to national security can execute their missions without delay and protect the American people,” the White House Fact Sheet stated, adding “the president needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security”.
