WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after the Trump administration issued a new rule removing civil service protections from tens of thousands of federal workers, making it easier to fire them:
“This is an outrageous effort to replace dedicated, expert civil servants with political minions who will push the administration’s extreme anti-worker agenda. The public service workers who keep our farmers secure, our airways clear, and our communities safe have earned their jobs through skill and service, not political loyalty. Attacking workers and politicizing public service will harm the communities who depend on a capable federal workforce to keep our country strong. AFSCME members filed a lawsuit challenging this attack more than a year ago when it was attempted by executive order, and now that there is a final rule, we will be heading back to court to challenge this rule. We will not allow this administration to put union members’ jobs and public safety at risk just so they can hammer through their billionaire-backed agenda with no accountability.”