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Season 6, Episode 67

Lynn Rhinehart on FMCS and the impact of the anti-union executive order

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Lynn Rhinehart

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Economic Policy Institute 

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Lynn Rhinehart, a Senior Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute and former General Counsel of the AFL-CIO, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the dismantling of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), the broader implications of Trump's executive orders on federal unions and potential consequences for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Established in 1947, the FMCS was designed to support collective bargaining by providing mediation services to employers and unions. Rhinehart explained that the Trump administration's decision to effectively shut down the FMCS is a significant blow to labor relations, as it removes a critical resource for resolving disputes. The agency, which operated with a modest budget and staff, was abruptly closed, leaving many ongoing mediations canceled and parties without support. Rhinehart said this move undermines the very purpose of the FMCS and reflects a broader anti-union agenda.

Rhinehart also discussed the executive orders issued by Trump, which aim to strip federal employees of their collective bargaining rights. She said these orders are not only illegal, but also retaliatory, targeting unions that have successfully challenged the administration's previous actions in court. Rhinehart explained that the orders threaten to dismantle existing contracts and undermine the rights of nearly a million federal workers. She emphasized the importance of legal challenges to these orders, expressing confidence that the courts will uphold workers' rights.

Finally, Rhinehart discussed the situation at the NLRB, where Trump has attempted to remove independent board members, which she said cripples the agency's ability to function efficiently. Rhinehart described this as an unprecedented power grab, aimed at controlling or potentially eliminating the NLRB. The lack of a quorum due to removing board members has stalled the board's operations, leaving workers' rights unprotected. This, Rhinehart warned, could lead to increased employer violations and a weakened labor movement.

To hear more from Rhinehart, listen to the episode above.


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.

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