Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Executive Order on Union Rights 

United States: On Friday, a federal judge intervened to stop President Donald Trump’s administration from taking away hundreds of thousands of civil employees’ union rights to bargain their workplace conditions, as reported by Reuters. 

Executive Order Exempted Key Federal Agencies from Union Negotiations 

A March 2017 executive order from President Donald Trump encountered a temporary restraining order from Washington D.C. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman until the ongoing National Treasury Employees Union lawsuit progressed. The union filed its lawsuit on behalf of its 160,000-member base. 

The National Treasury Employees Union argued that Trump’s executive order, which excluded multiple federal agencies from union negotiations, undermines federal workers’ labor rights while breaking U.S. constitutional law. 

Within the next few days, Friedman, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, plans to publish an opinion about his decision. 

JUST IN: US judge blocks Trump from ending union bargaining for many federal workers https://t.co/V5vkuUPYSz pic.twitter.com/iFTVf8sdzl

— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) April 25, 2025

The White House administration and the National Treasury Employees Union have not responded to media inquiries. 

In the executive order, Trump stated that agencies that “have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work” were exempt from collective bargaining responsibilities. 

Widespread Impact on Federal Workforce and Union Operations 

The executive order extends its provisions to Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services departments, and other agencies, as reported by Reuters. 

According to court documentation, this order regulates 75 percent of the 1 million federal workers who are part of union membership. NTEU maintains that its members surpass 100,000, and the organization experiences $2 million in monthly revenue loss due to agencies halting membership deductions from workers’ paychecks.