Expect Solidarity: A Message from the ACE Council Executive Officers on Federal Election Results

Donald Trump has been elected president for a second time, and his incoming administration will be supported by a House and Senate controlled by Republicans and a conservative-majority Supreme Court. While we cannot say for certain what the next Trump administration will hold, we can reasonably expect that he will push forward policies that would reduce protections for federal workers by fundamentally changing the institutions that protect us. This is based on his actions during his first term, promises made during the recent campaign, and his association with Project 2025 and its architects. For example, here are some initiatives that have been pushed by Trump and his allies since 2016:

• Strip DoD unions of their right to collectively bargain, as previously attempted by Trump in 2020 (FR Doc. 2020–03578).
• Reclassify large amounts of federal workers under Schedule F, making them vulnerable to firing without cause, as previously attempted by Trump through Executive Order 13957 in 2020.
• Force so-called Return-to-Work policies. Two proposed bills have recently been introduced: S. 4834 and H.R. 10014.

Stripping our DoD unions of their collective bargaining rights would eliminate contracts enshrining protections and benefits that federal employees have fought long and hard for. These contracts make our jobs safer and gives us a voice in the workplace, so that we can focus on the task at hand: delivering our programs for the public. Schedule F would eliminate the current due process that holds our bosses accountable when they choose to remove a fellow worker. Your boss’s bad day could turn to catastrophe for you and your family faster than ever. As a result of forcing employees back into the office, remote workers may be forced to relocate (themselves and their families) across the country (or resign). Workers who telework regularly will have to reorganize their lives, while those who have the option to telework situationally will lose a significant source of flexibility.

IFPTE and its locals are prepared to use institutions such as the courts, the FLRA, and the MSPB to counter these actions as they have always done to fight for the wellbeing of the federal worker and ultimately for the wellbeing of our fellow Americans. However, with Donald Trump and his allies in control of all branches of government, it is likely that they will limit or remove the ability of these institutions to protect us. Furthermore, we can expect them to begin decertifying federal sector union locals altogether. Federal workers were a prime target for scapegoating during the last Trump administration.
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While this paints a bleak picture of the future of federal sector labor, it is important to remember that federal unions have been around for more than a century and have faced many setbacks in that time. Federal Sector Locals have previously been under attack when Nixon tried to use Schedule F reclassifications to install political allies in agencies. During his presidency, Ronald Reagan broke a strike and jailed union organizers. When the institutions failed unions in the past, unions survived through solidarity and collective action. To survive another Trump presidency, we must do the same now.

​Beginning in 2025, Donald Trump and his conservative allies in Congress and on the Supreme Court will be our bosses. The President is at the top of our chain of command, Congress sets our wages, and with the recent overturning of the Chevron doctrine, the judiciary can tell us how to do our jobs. Regardless of the partisan affiliation of who holds these offices, collectively they are management. But as we all know, not all bosses are created equal. As in the past, this hostile leadership will try to get away with as much as possible, which makes it crucial to recruit as many people to the union as possible today.

Going forward, we have many tools at our disposal. Through our organizing and collective action, we can continue to protect ourselves and each other even if the institutions traditionally responsible for doing so no longer can. Informational pickets are a tool that can keep our colleagues and the public informed of all the issues. Collective use (or boycott) of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) among USACE staff has in recent years resulted in the demotion of bad directors and held previous Trump Executive Orders at bay. Publishing opinion pieces in media outlets has put pressure on Congress when federal workers are blamed for government dysfunction. Marching on our bosses directly with demands has won concessions from our managers at the local level. But while the law and institutions can be tools for our unions, a union's strength comes from its members and the actions we take together.
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Now is the time to get involved, whatever your experience and comfort level. You can run for office in your local. You can become an elected or volunteer steward. You can take notes at meetings, help negotiate a contract, vote in your local’s elections and most importantly, help the union understand your co-workers’ needs. There are many roles and responsibilities that can be filled that will significantly strengthen your union. No matter how small these actions may seem, it takes all of us. Now is the time for solidarity.