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Season 6, Episode 139

Trump's Attack on Federal Unions: Legal Expert Weighs In

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Barry Winograd

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Barry Winograd, arbitrator, mediator and adjunct law professor, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle federal sector unions. Winograd explored the legal challenges to Collective Bargaining Agreements, the use of national security as justification and the potential long-term impacts on workers' rights.

Winograd detailed the ongoing legal battles between federal unions and the Trump administration, highlighting the unprecedented scale of attempts to nullify CBAs. He explained that while previous administrations have used national security exemptions sparingly, Trump's executive order seeks to exempt about two-thirds of the federal workforce eligible for union representation. This move has sparked multiple lawsuits from unions such as the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), he noted. 

The legal expert emphasized the broader implications of these actions, framing them as an attack on due process and core American values. Winograd argued that the administration's tactics, including masked agents conducting raids and the invocation of national security to override labor rights, represent a significant departure from established norms. He expressed concern that these actions could negatively affect workers' willingness to speak out or engage in protected activities.

Winograd also discussed the potential long-term consequences of these legal battles, suggesting that the Supreme Court may ultimately decide the fate of federal sector unions. He noted that while lower courts have issued injunctions against some of Trump's executive orders, the Supreme Court's recent rulings indicate a tendency to defer to executive authority on national security matters. This trend, Winograd warned, could have far-reaching effects on the balance of power between the executive branch and organized labor.

For more insights on federal unions' legal challenges, listen to the full episode with Barry Winograd on the America's Work Force Union Podcast.


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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