Home Media Center News Releases

Washington, D.C. – The National Treasury Employees Union’s lawsuit to block certain provisions of President Trump’s executive orders on the federal workforce is moving swiftly and the union’s motion for summary judgment will be heard by a federal judge July 25.

“We are thrilled that U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has expedited this important case because it is an urgent matter that affects federal employees all over the country and their ability to be treated fairly in the workplace,” NTEU National President Tony Reardon said.

Judge Jackson has combined NTEU’s lawsuit with suits filed by other unions, a welcome development that can speed up the legal process. The expedited briefing schedule permits the court to address the merits of NTEU’s arguments quickly.

 NTEU’s complaint, which was amended since it was originally filed in early June, challenges multiple provisions of the administration’s executive orders that roll back the rights of the men and women of the civil service and the unions that represent them.  

The orders – limiting the use of official time, weakening due process, and restricting collective bargaining at government agencies – undermine decades of federal law that govern labor-management relations in the federal sector.

“NTEU looks forward to presenting our strong legal arguments that these executive orders run roughshod over the Civil Service Reform Act,” Reardon said. “This is not just about federal employees. The American public should be alarmed that the administration is flouting existing law in such a way that it would make it harder to resolve disputes fairly and efficiently in the workplace.”

In the amended complaint filed June 15, NTEU has expanded its challenge to include the artificially low limits on how much time federal employees can spend on matters for which the CSRA permits official time to be used; the petty attack on union’s use of agency facilities; the disregard for progressive and consistent punishment rules; and the dramatic scaling back of which issues are included in the negotiated grievance procedures.

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 32 federal agencies and departments.