On March 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs. The order gave exemptions to agencies, which allow them to ignore conditions of employment that challenge labor unions’ rights to collective bargaining.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent a memo to agencies on March 12, advising them on collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) related to a reduction in forces (RIFs). The memo stated that CBAs need to more closely follow government regulations on RIFs in order to be valid.

Acting Director of the OPM Charles Ezell explained the reasoning for limiting unions in the memo.

“The scope of collective bargaining should be limited to procedures and appropriate arrangements that do not run afoul of these regulations,” Ezell said. “Additionally, federal sector collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) often contain comprehensive RIF articles that may obviate an agency’s obligation to further collective bargaining.”

Soon after this memo reached agencies, Trump signed an executive order enforcing the changes to federal unions.

A fact sheet released by the White House the same day as the order documented Trump’s reasoning behind pushing for the changes.

“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 sheet said. “The President needs a responsive and accountable civil service to protect our national security.”

Trump and the OPM’s reasoning behind ordering agencies to ignore CBAs and continue in RIFs left unions unsatisfied. They viewed the limitations as retaliation against their resistance to RIFs.

AFGE President Everett Kelley described workers’ reactions to the order.

“President Trump’s latest executive order is a disgraceful and retaliatory attack on the rights of hundreds of thousands of patriotic American civil servants,” Kelley said. “This administration’s bullying tactics represent a clear threat not just to federal employees and their unions, but to every American who values democracy and the freedoms of speech and association.”

Unions continue to voice their disagreements and concerns about the changes brought by the OPM. On March 31, the AFGE stated that they would file a lawsuit against the administration for these actions.