On Wednesday September 25, NFFE and the other federal unions received disappointing news in our legal battle against the Trump Administration’s anti-union, anti-employee Executive Orders (EOs). After a panel of judges on the DC Court of Appeals struck down the lower court’s ruling that overturned the EOs, NFFE’s request to the full DC Court of Appeals to rehear the case was denied. We are currently evaluating what further options remain to continue this fight. The Court’s decision to not rehear the case means that the provisions in the Executive Orders that have been enjoined (struck down) since August 2018 will likely go into effect on October 2, 2019.
On Monday, September 30, NFFE President Randy Erwin hosted a call with NFFE leaders to discuss the decision and the challenges we will soon face from EO implementation. Local leaders heard from NFFE General Counsel Jeff Friday and attorneys Renee Catalano and Suzanne Summerlin on what to expect when the injunction is lifted and provided guidelines to locals on how to handle agency implementation.
Below you will find a link to the guidelines, please download them and share with your fellow local officials. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your NFFE Business Representative or NFFE Office of General Counsel.
Additionally, there was a separate lawsuit filed by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 200, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. There is a possibility that further injunctive relief could be ordered in the next few days.
related: On September 30, 2019, NFFE-IAM Associate General Counsel Suzanne Summerlin appeared on Government Matters to talk about federal employee unions challenging President Trump’s workforce executive ordres. Click HERE for video.