Episode Details

Last week, President Trump escalated his administration's war on the federal workforce and workers' rights when he signed an executive order to end collective bargaining with federal labor unions across the government. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 150,000 government employees, has sued the Trump administration over the executive order.In response to these intensifying assaults on federal workers, agencies, and critical programs like Social Security, unions, social justice and community organizations, veterans groups, and people of conscience will be participating in protest actions in locales across the US on Saturday, April 5. In this episode, we speak with James Jones, a maintenance mechanic with the National Park Service, a veteran, and a member of the Federal Unionists Network, to get a firsthand account of the Trump administration's attacks on federal workers, agencies, and the people who depend on their services.Additional links/info:

• Federal Unionists Network website
• Indivisible website
• "Hands Off!" National Day of Action (April 5) website
• Joe DeManuelle-Hall, Labor Notes, "Trump Goes Nuclear on the Federal Workforce"
• Tyler Pager, The New York Times, "Trump Moves to End Union Protections Across Broad Swath of Government"
• Daniel Weissner, Reuters, "Union Sues to Block Trump from Ending Collective Bargaining for Many federal workers"
• Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, "Curious How Trump's Cost Cutting Could Affect Your National Park Visit? You Might Not Get a Straight Answer"