Teamsters join legal challenge to presidential executive orders that impair union and employee rights

(Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters press release, June 13, 2018)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters joined with 12 other labor unions in bringing a lawsuit to stop the implementation of three executive orders issued by the President on May 25.

Two of the orders impair long-established federal labor relations procedures by limiting the ability of federal workers and their union representatives to perform union business and by weakening the process for negotiating contracts on behalf of unionized federal employees. The third order seeks to impair the due process rights of employees alleged to have performance problems.

The federal rules governing labor-management relations and personnel matters were codified into law in 1978 with the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act.

“The rights of federal employees and the unions that were democratically-elected to represent them are being unjustly singled out,” said Michael Filler, the Director of the Teamsters Public Services Division. “Neither national security nor the quality of service to the public will be improved by ignoring the law and relevant legal precedent; therefore, the court should declare all three executive order invalid and unenforceable” Filler added.

The Teamsters represent 1.4 million workers throughout North America, including approximately 2,000 civilian federal employees in six states, who are employed by agencies such as the Department of the Navy, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Friday, June 15, 2018