A federal judge just threw a wrench into President Trump’s plan to curb union power among federal workers.
Newsmax reported that U.S. District Judge James Donato sided with unions like the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), declaring Trump’s executive order to strip bargaining rights from thousands of federal employees as likely unlawful, and blocked 21 agencies from enforcing it until a full trial settles the matter.
This saga kicked off when Trump issued an executive order aiming to dismantle collective bargaining for federal workers, arguing through the administration that the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act “enables hostile Federal unions to obstruct agency management.”
Let’s unpack that administration claim—unions obstructing management sounds like a fair gripe when you’re trying to streamline a bloated bureaucracy, but isn’t 60 years of bargaining rights a bit too entrenched to just swipe away with a pen? Judge Donato seems to think so, pointing out in his 29-page opinion that federal employees have had union protections for over six decades.
Back in April, six unions, including AFGE, weren’t about to let this slide and hauled the administration to court. They saw this as a direct attack on their long-standing ability to negotiate on behalf of workers.
Fast forward to Tuesday, when Judge Donato dropped his ruling, calling out the executive order as a likely violation of established law. While he noted the executive branch’s judgment on national security is “entitled to deference and significant weight,” he wasn’t buying the argument when it clashed with First Amendment interpretations.
Speaking of national security, Donato made it clear that even when such interests “are said to be at stake,” the courts won’t just roll over for the executive branch. That’s a polite judicial jab at what some might call an overreach dressed up as a safety concern.
Union leaders, predictably, are popping champagne over this decision. AFGE National President Everett Kelley cheered, saying Trump “revoked our members' union rights in retaliation for our advocacy on behalf of federal workers and the American people.”
While it’s a feel-good moment for them, one wonders if this “advocacy” sometimes looks more like stonewalling needed reforms.
David Holway, president of the National Association of Government Employees, called the ruling a “resounding rejection of the Trump administration's authoritarian tactics.” Strong words, but let’s be real—calling a policy disagreement “authoritarian” feels like the kind of hyperbole that fuels endless culture wars instead of fixing actual problems.
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, chimed in too, hailing the decision as “justice for the federal workers who were unfairly retaliated against.” Fair enough, but conservatives might argue that protecting inefficient systems under the guise of worker rights isn’t justice—it’s stagnation.
Meanwhile, the Office of Personnel Management had already directed agencies to terminate their bargaining agreements before the judge stepped in.
That memo now sits in limbo, with 21 agencies barred from acting on it until the lawsuit plays out in a full trial. Judge Donato didn’t mince words about unions that “appear to have been deemed hostile to the President.”
It’s a subtle dig, suggesting this might be more personal than policy-driven, though from a conservative lens, one could argue that hostility cuts both ways when unions resist every attempt at accountability.
This ruling isn’t the final word—just a pause button. The trial ahead will determine whether Trump’s order gets permanently tossed or if the administration can make a stronger case for curbing union influence.
For now, the “long-standing status quo” that Donato referenced remains intact, much to the frustration of those who see federal unions as a roadblock to efficient governance.
Still, even from a right-leaning view, there’s something to be said for respecting a process that’s been in place for generations, even if it needs serious reform.