Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson Opposes Trump Executive Order Stripping Federal Workers of Union Protections

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) strongly denounced President Trump's new executive order rolling back collective bargaining rights for federal workers across multiple agencies, including NASA, the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, the United States Agency for Global Media, the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

"On the weekend of Labor Day, President Trump chose to attack the very workers this holiday is meant to honor," said Congressman Jackson. "Stripping hardworking Americans of their right to organize is a disgrace and a betrayal of our nation's workforce. This executive order undermines the principles of fairness, dignity, and collective action on which America was built, and it directly threatens thousands of federal employees in Chicago and across the country."

The order follows similar actions earlier this year at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency, where union protections have already been curtailed. While the administration claims the measures are necessary for efficiency and national security, Congressman Jackson dismissed those arguments as nothing more than a pretext for advancing an anti-union agenda.

"We will not stand by while the President retaliates against federal employees and the unions that represent them," Representative Jackson continued. "These workers are not a threat to national security. They are our neighbors, our public servants, and they deserve the same rights as every American worker. I will work with my colleagues in Congress and our union partners to fight this order and defend federal employees' right to organize."

Congressman Jackson reaffirmed his commitment to defending federal workers' rights and pledged to use every legal and legislative tool available to block this executive order and protect collective bargaining protections.

In Illinois, over 48,000 federal employees, including many in Chicago, are union members. Statewide, roughly 734,000 workers belong to unions, representing over 13 percent of the workforce (BLS). This executive order threatens their workplace protections and could result in buyouts, layoffs, and disruptions to union representation.

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