Unions face extinction under Trump. What the hell is labor doing to fight back?

On Aug. 1, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a court injunction halting President Trump’s executive order eliminating collective bargaining rights for federal unions. The decision has cleared the way for the Trump administration to execute its total assault on federal unions and workers’ rights. “Union contracts at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture have since been terminated,” The Guardian reports. “An estimated 400,000 have been affected, about 2.6% of unionized workers in the US.” After already falling to historically low levels of union density, public and private-sector unions are facing an extinction-level event under the new Trump administration. In this interview, recorded at the Netroots conference in New Orleans, LA, TRNN editor-in-chief Maximillian Alvarez speaks with Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, about what the labor movement is doing to fight back.

Guest:

• Everett Kelley is the national President of the American Federation of Government Employees, which is the largest union representing federal and DC government employees. He began his first term of service as national President in February 2020, was elected to another term during the 42nd National Convention in June 2022, and was reelected during the 43rd National Convention in August 2024. Kelley has been a member of AFGE since 1981. He worked at Anniston Army Depot and retired from there after 30 years of service.

Additional links/info:

• American Federation of Government Employees website, Facebook page, and Instagram
• Hamilton Nolan, How Things Work, “Fragile movements crumble”
• Michael Sainato, The Guardian, “White House cancels union contracts for hundreds of thousands of federal workers”

Credits:

• Filming: Kayla Rivara, Rosette Sewali
• Post-Production: David Hebden

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