WASHINGTON – The Machinists Union (IAM) and a dozen other unions have filed suit against the Trump administration to stop the president’s executive orders that take away rights from federal workers.
“We refuse to sit on the sidelines while the president oversteps his constitutional authority and tramples on the freedom of working people to join together,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Federal employees who fulfill our country’s mission every day should not be used as pawns in a political game.”
The lawsuit contests the legality of the president’s May 25 executive orders that override Congress to slash federal employee rights to collective bargaining and due process.
The IAM filed the lawsuit on June 13 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It includes six counts challenging the president’s executive orders.
“Freedom of association and our system of checks and balances are at stake,” said Martinez. “The courts need to seriously consider the ramifications of allowing the executive branch to unilaterally change law passed by the Congress.”
Other unions to sign on to the Machinists’ lawsuit include:
- National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM)
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
- International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
- Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO
- Federal Education Association (FEA)
- Patent Office Professional Association (POPA)
- National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO)
- National Association of Government Employees (NAGE-SEIU)
- Seafarers International Union (SIU)
- Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA)
- Federation of Indian Service Employees (FISE)
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents approximately 110,000 federal workers in the Department of Defense, U.S. Forest Service, and more than 30 federal departments and agencies. Visit goIAM.org for more information.
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