Arnold Scott, National Vice President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the ongoing attacks on federal workers, particularly at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the administration's attempts to strip union rights and AFGE's efforts to fight back through legal action and advocacy.
Scott began by discussing the Republican members of Congress and the Trump administration's attempts to cut 80,000 employees from the VA, representing about 15 percent of its workforce. This move, part of the Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill, was opposed by Democratic committee members who attempted to remove the mass reduction in workforce. Scott emphasized that these cuts would severely impact veteran care and benefits, with an estimated 20,000 affected employees being veterans.
Next, Scott explained why the labor unions representing federal workers are suing the Trump administration over executive orders that aim to strip more than a million federal workers of their union rights. The lawsuit alleges that these actions are retaliatory attempts to punish unions engaged in constitutionally protected activities, he said. Scott highlighted the administration's overuse of national security exemptions to eliminate collective bargaining rights for workers whose primary functions are unrelated to national security. This would impact agencies like the VA, Environmental Protection Agency and the USDA Food Safety Inspection Services.
Finally, Scott addressed the administration's proposed changes to federal worker pay and rights. He discussed proposals requiring employees to pay 14.4 percent of their salary to retain union rights, or 9 percent to opt out of union representation. Scott emphasized that these unrealistic demands are part of a broader strategy to undermine unions and worker protections. Despite these challenges, he affirmed AFGE's commitment to representing employees and fighting against anti-union legislation through legal action and member advocacy.
Listen to the full episode above for more from Scott on federal workers' challenges and AFGE's strategies to protect their rights.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
