Saunders on DOGE targeting the Department of Labor: Musk will have to go through unions and working people

WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement as workers today protested Elon Musk’s plans to target the Department of Labor:

“It’s not surprising that Elon Musk has ordered his DOGE cronies to storm the Department of Labor next. He has always seen working people as a threat. From blatant union busting at Tesla to skyrocketing worker injuries at SpaceX, Musk views his workers as expendable. Now, he has turned his attention to workers across the country. The Department of Labor fights to protect all working people – from stopping wage theft, discrimination and workplace violence to enforcing overtime, FMLA and whistleblower protection laws. People's sensitive data should not be put at risk on the whims of an un-elected billionaire who has been given unchecked power. That’s why AFSCME joined a lawsuit filed today to protect the public against DOGE accessing the DOL’s information. Musk can try to rob us of our freedoms, but he’ll have to go through unions and working people first.”