Labor lawyer discusses federal employees’ and their union rights

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America's Work Force Union Podcast AWF Tom Spiggle Labor Law

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Tom Spiggle

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Tom Spiggle, labor and employment law attorney and founder of The Spiggle Law Firm, discussed the Trump administration's attacks on federal workers, legal challenges to union rights and the Supreme Court's role in these disputes.

The administration's aggressive moves against federal employee unions have sparked numerous legal battles. Spiggle highlighted the termination of collective bargaining agreements for over 45,000 Transportation Safety Administration workers as a prime example. While a recent court ruling temporarily blocked this action, the ultimate fate of these agreements remains uncertain as cases make their way through the courts.

Spiggle expressed concern about the U.S. Supreme Court's potential rulings on these issues, noting a recent 6-3 decision allowing Trump to remove heads of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Merit Systems Protection Board without cause. Spiggle said this decision signals a potentially worker-unfriendly stance from the court. However, he suggested the court might draw the line at due process violations, potentially reining in some of the administration's more extreme actions.

Finally, Spiggle addressed the administration's use of buyouts to reduce the federal workforce. While some employees took these offers, Spiggle warned of potential risks. He said these risks include agencies going back on the agreements or running out of funds to honor them. Spiggle advised workers to carefully consider their personal circumstances before accepting buyouts.

Listen to the full episode above to hear more from Spiggle on the legal challenges facing federal workers under the Trump administration.

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.

Labor lawyer discusses federal employees’ and their union rights

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