EPA scraps union agreement, sparking legal battle over worker rights
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scrapped its collective bargaining agreement with the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). The move follows broader government efforts to restrict union activities under a 2020 executive order. Union leaders have condemned the decision as unlawful and unconstitutional.
The cancellation means EPA staff can no longer use official work time for union business beyond the current pay period, which ends on Tuesday. Any union activities must now take place outside scheduled work hours or during approved leave. Employees are also barred from using EPA equipment or computer systems for union-related tasks.
The termination removes key protections for workers, including grievance procedures and arbitration rights. Michael Ottlinger, president of NTEU Chapter 279, called the agency's action a 'brazen disregard for law and the Constitution.' The union had previously challenged the executive order in court, securing a preliminary injunction—though it remains on hold pending appeal.
The EPA's decision aligns with wider administration pressure to dismantle union agreements across federal agencies. While exact figures are unclear, multiple departments have moved to limit or void collective bargaining rights since the order was issued in January 2020.
The cancellation weakens NTEU's ability to organise EPA workers during work hours. Without official time or access to agency resources, union representatives face greater hurdles in supporting employees. The legal battle over the executive order continues, but for now, the EPA's agreement with NTEU is no longer in effect.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
