The second Trump administration was largely characterized by a targeted effort to reduce the number of federal employees.
Thanks to the staff management office and the Elon Musk government ministry, the president used Very unusual resignation offers And dismissal To reduce the labor market in all agencies, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. There is no official number on the number of people who have been dismissed, but 62,530 government positions were cut So far this year, according to data published earlier this month of the World Outplacement Challenger, Gray and Christmas company. There are probably more cuts to come.
The unions played a major role in the legal challenges of mass dismissal of federal workers. Thursday, two separate decisions were returned by ordering the Trump administration to restore these dismissed employees. A decision In response to 20 Democratic prosecutors who call for the reinstatement of dismissed workers came from a federal judge in Maryland. The other was issuing by a judge of the American district court of the North District of California in response to a case deposited by dozens of unions and advocacy groups. US District Judge William Alsup has ordered six federal agencies to restore thousands of probationary employees who have been dismissed under the management of OPM, a decision he declared illegal. The Trump administration has already deposited A call in this case.
The American Federation of the State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) was one of the complainants of this second challenge. The union represents 1.4 million public service workers across the country of the federal, state and local government, as well as the non -profit sector. The president of AFSCME, Lee Saunders, spoke with Fortune About the threat of public sector workers, what its members feel and how the union plans to retaliate.
This interview was published and condensed for more clarity.
Fortune: What are the members of the AFSCME at the moment?
President Saunders: They feel attacked. They believe in the importance of public services, and yet you see them attacking every day by this current administration.
They are afraid, but they also know that they must make their voices heard and they have to fight, and that’s exactly what they do. Their union supports them 100% by speaking of the importance of the public service and by contesting some of the things that this administration does, and Whether in the courtsor whether in the media, or if it is in the streets. We will continue to do this to assert our point of view and pass our point of view.
AFSCME is one of the complainants of case which has just been tried in favor of the reintegration of federal workers in dismissed probation. Many see this as a victory for federal workers, but this decision does not makeFFECT Summary of this week set by the TRUMP administration requiring that all agencies send the president and the OPM provides for more layoffs. What could the future look like for these workers?
It is a huge victory for these workers.
It will be challenged, but we will continue to put the whole strength of the union behind the deposit of this type of proceedings. This is really important, but we must also be in attack and not play defense all the time, and we will continue to do it. What we are doing at the moment is to organize and mobilize and educate our members through the country with telephone calls, going to the town hall meetings.
One of the things we have to do is continue to organize. Seventy percent Americans believe that unions are absolutely necessary in this country and 88% young people [view them favorably]. We will spend resources and we are going to talk to workers, asking them to be represented by us or other unions so that they have a seat at the table.
It looks like every day there is a new development linked to DOGE layoffs. How would you advise people to keep track of the whirlwind of actions?
I think it is in AFSCME and the work movement and our allies and friends to continue to talk about what this administration is trying to do to injure workers. We have to enlist people in the work movement and outside the Labor movement to make their voices heard. We cannot just sit down and make us silent when this destruction – and that is exactly what it is – takes place at the federal level, [which will] Return to the level of the state and the local level, with huge cuts in the federal programs. States governments count on federal money to finance programs at the level of the state; They move 33% of [their revenue] of the federal government. This helps provide public services at the levels of the state, the city and the local level.
It is a question of continuing to educate. It’s about asking [workers] Do not be silent, but make their voices heard and retaliates like never before.
[When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the White House told Fortune: “President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse.”]
Elon Musk republished A tweet involving that public sector workers were responsible for mass murders under people like Hitler, Mao and Stalin. What do you do with this comment and attacks against workers in the general public sector?
I will try to control my language, but … it’s a hateful comment for him [retweet] This and compare our workers in the public sector and our members saying that “Hitler, Stalin and Mao have not murdered millions, but [their] Public sector services workers have done so. Now think about it. This is where it comes from, and we have to get this message across.
He has no idea what workers are confronted every day. He has no idea what they are doing to improve the lives of our citizens in our communities across the country and to improve public services, but he makes a statement like this. I mean, it’s incredible, and we have to make sure that people understand that this is what he says, and that’s what people in this administration believe.
[Fortune reached out to Elon Musk but did not get a response.]
How can unions protect workers if the government wants to fire them?
We deposit these prosecution – this is number one. We even push if we understand that the climate here in Washington, DC is not the best. But we must always continue to make the offense, as I said earlier. We support The professional actThis would give workers the right to have a seat at the table to improve labor law in this country. We do the same with the Public public action of Néger for public service workers.
We have the capacity to mobilize every day – to mobilize the members of the union, but also workers who are not in unions of our communities across the country. Because it also has an impact on them. The actions proposed have an impact on all those who rely on public services: Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security. All these programs are attacked, and we have to do what we do best, and that’s exactly what we do.
This account against workers in the public sector took place quickly and strongly. How do you fight the feelings from those who have huge platforms like Trump and Musk?
They are not only federal workers. It’s really all workers. There is an attack on all workers at the moment. I guess the way I can answer this question is that reality is now hitting people opposite. I mean, they feel it. People are dismissed without discrimination. People are dismissed. Their rights are removed from them. The services on which the Americans counted are cut and they offer to do much more damage. So I mean, here is the game book they have talked about, and now they put an action, and we have to make sure that people understand the impact it will have on them and their families. You must react there in a way that we ask people to retaliate and make their voices heard. You cannot sit down silently and look at it happening.
This story was initially presented on Fortune.com
