DHS union-busting attempt sends message in and out of government [View all]

The gutting of TSA’s agreement denies “the sanctity of contracts” and could lead to “real aggression” by private sector employers against their labor unions.

The Trump administration’s aggression against the federal workforce has reached a new level of intensity, with officials attempting to bust the union representing 47,000 airport screeners.

If successful, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem’s gutting of a contract with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) could set the stage for similar attacks on other federal labor organizations and embolden private sector efforts to thwart union power.

Noem cited President Donald Trump’s executive orders for her action, demonstrating another example of his muscular attempt to expand his power to that befitting a “king,” as he has declared himself. He has already fired or placed on leave thousands of federal employees (including some the courts have ordered reinstated), shut some agencies without congressional approval and denigrated workers’ public service — in addition to other actions to diminish union power.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/21/dhs-union-busting-attempt-sends-message-out-government/