Unions, greens sue over Trump’s efforts to thin civil service

By Amelia Davidson | 01/29/2025 04:34 PM EST

The unions, which represent over 2 million public sector employees, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday in Washington. Ben Curtis/AP

Two major federal unions sued the Trump administration Wednesday over an executive order that leaves career federal employees vulnerable to dismissal.

In his first days in office, Trump revived the “Schedule F” employee class from his first term, now called “Schedule Career/Policy,” making it easier to fire a large swath of career federal employees who are involved in policymaking. Now, the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are suing to try to halt the implementation of the executive order.

The two unions, which collectively represent over 2 million public sector employees, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing that Trump illegally exceeded his authority by rolling back Biden-era regulations that protect civil servants.

“Schedule F is a shameless attempt to politicize the federal workforce by replacing thousands of dedicated, qualified civil servants with political cronies,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders in a statement. “Our union was born in the fight for a professional, non-partisan civil service, and our communities will pay the price if these anti-union extremists are allowed to undo decades of progress by stripping these workers of their freedoms.”

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