In May of 2018, President Trump issued three Executive Orders (EOs) designed to target federal employees and their right to actively participate in a union. NFFE-IAM, alongside eleven other federal employee unions, led the charge to challenge these unlawful attacks and successfully kept them at bay for over a year. Unfortunately, in April of 2019, the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit struck down the lower court ruling preventing the implementation of these EOs, and in October of 2019, federal agencies throughout the country began enforcing their disastrous provisions.
NFFE-IAM is committed to continuing the fight to stop this administration’s efforts to dismantle collective bargaining in the federal sector by challenging EO implementation at every turn. In the meantime, NFFE-IAM understands the tremendous impact the EOs have had on our locals and recently introduced its Executive Order Assistance Program to support our membership during these challenging times.
The Executive Order Assistance Program, released just this week, outlines a process whereby struggling locals can work collaboratively with their Business Representatives and National Office staff to alleviate some of the challenges brought on by EO implementation. The program strives to provide additional representation support, legal assistance, education, training, and in some cases, modest short-term financial assistance in the form of a grant.
“I am really proud of this program,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “When NFFE held its annual strategic planning meeting at the Winpisinger Center earlier this year, stakeholders from across the union, including Business Representatives, Council Presidents, National Executive Board members, National Office staff, and Local leaders came together to create a program that will help our members during these challenging times. We want to do everything possible to support our loyal and hardworking sisters and brothers as they stand against these attacks. We are not backing down; we’ll fight every step of the way. This program will help us do that”
If your Local is struggling to carry out business as usual in light of the EO implementation, visit NFFE’s new Executive Order hub (https://nffe.org/eos/) which includes all of the most up to date information and resources for requesting assistance. By standing together now in solidarity, we can ensure NFFE will remain strong enough to continue fighting for federal employees in the future.