Statements by IFPTE President Matt Biggs and IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson on President Trump’s Executive Order Ending Collective Bargaining for Federal Agencies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Matt Biggs

"The Trump administration which has proven itself to be in violation of security protocols this week with the Signal/Houthi scandal has the gall to cite ‘national security’ as the reason for their clearly illegal attempt to eliminate collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including thousands of IFPTE members, many of whom are veterans, unlike the President.

Our union was formed in in U.S. Navy’s shipyards around the time of World War I and since then, every day, for more than a century, our members who are employed by the Department of Defense, The Department of Justice and other federal agencies have worked tirelessly to defend this nation.

There is little doubt that this insulting and rogue action is in response to successful efforts by IFPTE and other federal unions to block illegal executive orders and other misguided directives this administration has employed to dismantle or degrade federal services.

President Trump has proven that workers in the federal sector who have been constantly harassed since his taking office on January 20 need union representation more than ever. In the Labor Movement we often say that ‘the boss is the best organizer.’ Donald Trump is a damn good union organizer. Our union and others will continue to represent workers through legal efforts, communication, political action and other means. Federal workers who have not yet joined our ranks should do so now.”

Gay Henson

“Prior to my election as a national union officer, I spent many years as a Health Physicist employed by a federal agency. My job was to provide radiation protection to workers, to the environment, and to the public. I viewed collective bargaining then and now as a way to raise important health and safety concerns.

Eliminating collective bargaining means that many important issues won’t be addressed and risks for both workers and members of the public who live and work near federal facilities will increase. Workers everywhere need a voice on the job, those employed in the federal government are no exception and should not be excluded from federal labor-management relations programs.”

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Matt Biggs is the President of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. Gay Henson serves as IFPTE’s Secretary-Treasurer. Across North America, IFPTE represents 90,000 highly skilled, workers in both the public and private sectors. In the federal government IFPTE represents professionals who work in a wide range of occupations including immigration judges, at the Department of Justice, engineers and technical workers at the Department of Defense, administrative law judges who hear cases at the Social Security Administration, along with rocket scientists and technicians at NASA, The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and the CLC. More information can be found at www.IFPTE.org.