President Donald Trump just ended collective bargaining in much of the federal government. He took this bold step on national security grounds, but it won’t just make America safer: It will save taxpayers huge amounts of money while freeing federal workers from one-size-fits-all union contracts that make them less effective. This is a massive win for America.
The president’s order, signed Thursday, prohibits collective bargaining with labor unions at well over a dozen federal departments and agencies. The list includes all or parts of the Defense, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and Energy departments and the safety-focused parts of the Department of Health and Human Services. Recent estimates indicate that at least 1 million federal workers at these agencies are unionized, and those covered by the executive order are no longer required to collectively bargain with unions.
The legal basis for this move is clear — and firmly grounded in common sense. While federal law allows collective bargaining at government agencies, it also allows the president to exclude any agency that deals with “intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work.” Collective bargaining must be “interpreted in a manner consistent with the requirements of an effective and efficient government,” according to the same federal law.
This language reflects what people need and want. Keeping the country safe requires a nimble and responsive government — one not burdened by bureaucracy. Yet collective bargaining is inherently bureaucratic, often bogging down federal agencies in lengthy negotiations and legal back-and-forth. When the country is in danger, you don’t want federal officials haggling with labor unions over issues that have nothing to do with ensuring the safety and security of the public.
Which is exactly what happens all too often. Government unions can’t legally bargain over wages and benefits, which are set by federal law. Instead, collective bargaining frequently descends into negotiations over many picayune issues.
The Institute for the American Worker has documented this reality. The federal government is negotiating with unions over a supposed right to wear sweatpants and spandex in federal offices. Unions are also negotiating with the federal government over the height of cubicle desk panels — specifically, how far they reach to the floor. Collective bargaining has even focused on things such as carving out smoking zones on federal properties that are supposed to be smoke-free.
None of this improves national security. Nor is America safer or more secure when a Veterans Affairs medical center gives a government union more than half a hospital wing, including a kitchen, a conference room, private bathrooms, and an outdoor patio. Under the president’s executive order, that never would have happened, and it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
People need the federal government to focus on national security, not union negotiations. Nor do people need federal employees to spend part of their workday working for the union, a policy known as “official time.” The president’s order ends that practice, too. The most recent evidence shows that federal employees across the government spent more than 2.6 million hours doing union work instead of their jobs. The country will be safer when they’re 100% focused on national security.
Taxpayers have a clear and compelling interest in this reform. Collective bargaining with federal labor unions has cost billions of dollars over the years, covering everything from negotiators and lawyers to expert witnesses and travel costs. Taxpayers expect their hard-earned money to make them safer. People aren’t safer when they’re forced to fund negotiations over spandex and smoking zones.
TRUMP’S COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ORDER SPARKS FURY AND LEGAL FIGHT WITH DEMOCRATS AND UNIONS
And federal workers will benefit, too. Government union contracts tend to restrict employees, but when national security is on the line, federal workers need freedom and flexibility to do their jobs at the highest level. That’s why they went to work for security-focused agencies — not to get higher cubicle desk panels, but to help protect people.
Trump is right to end collective bargaining when national security is on the line. His reform will empower government workers, save taxpayers money, and make everyone safer. Rarely will you see a more obvious or praiseworthy example of what it means to put America First.
F. Vincent Vernuccio is president of the Institute for the American Worker.