“They know that an organized workforce is a threat to unchecked power, which is why they want to rip away the collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees and continue firing them at will.”

Pressley, a Consistent and Strident Champion for Workers and Organized Labor, Spoke Out Against the GOP’s Union-Busting Efforts Earlier This Week

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement slamming Trump’s executive order to end collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees. As a parent, caregiver, and former hotel worker, Congresswoman Pressley has been a dedicated champion for workers and organized labor, and she has consistently advocated for policies that bolster workers’ rights and strengthen labor unions.

“Trump and Musk are attacking our labor unions because they don’t want workers to have power. They know that an organized workforce is a threat to unchecked power, which is why they want to rip away the collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees and continue firing them at will. This is shameful and yet another attempt by this hostile administration to completely dismantle our democracy and harm the people who keep our country running.

“Unions have long been the backbone of this country – helping families thrive by winning better wages, benefits, and safer working conditions. Now more than ever, I’ll keep standing with our siblings in the labor movement and fight this every step of the way, because our destinies are tied and this attack on labor is an attack of all of us.”

Rep. Pressley has been a committed voice for federal workers pushing back against the Trump-Musk administration’s efforts to decimate federal agencies. In a House Oversight Committee hearing earlier this week, Rep. Pressley slammed Republicans for attempting to gut federal unions and weaken worker protections.

A full transcript of the Congresswoman’s remarks, as delivered, is available below and the full video is available here.

Transcript: Rep. Pressley’s Statement on Trump Revoking Collective Bargaining Power for Most Federal Employees
U.S. House of Representatives
March 25, 2025

Make no mistake, the bills we are considering today are a coordinated and shameful attack on federal workers and labor unions. 

This is not about efficiency. This is not about accountability. This is about silencing workers and stripping away their rights in the name of unchecked power. 

Let me be plain about what’s happening here. 

These bills would gut federal unions, weaken worker protections and strip employees of their rights to fight for fair wages, safe workplaces and the basic dignity they deserve. 

They are meant to intimidate, isolate and disempower the very people who keep our country running – the people who inspect our food, protect our veterans, process Social Security checks, and uphold services that millions of people use. 

It’s union busting. 

But instead of targeting corporations, Republicans are targeting our very own public servants. Let’s talk about what these bills actually do. 

Republicans want to eliminate official time – a tool that allows workers to report fraud, waste and abuse without fear of retaliation. Just to be clear, this would make it harder for workers to blow the whistle on corporate corruption and inefficiency. That doesn’t sound like it protects taxpayers to me. 

Republicans want to give the president unchecked power to tear up collective bargaining agreements at will, making every worker’s contract essentially meaningless. 

Imagine signing a contract for a mortgage only to have the bank come back six months later and say, “Never mind, we’re changing the terms, and you have no say in it.” That’s what they want to do to federal workers. 

Republicans also want to ban federal workers from deducting union dues from their paychecks, even though it’s completely voluntary and no different from deductions for retirement funds, health care or charitable donations. 

They are singling out unions here, not because it saves money, but because they don’t want workers to have power. 

So no, this isn’t about efficiency, and it certainly isn’t about protecting the taxpayer. 

If it were, the Republicans wouldn’t be rolling back whistleblower protections or forcing unions to provide representation for free. 

In reality, it’s about giving more power to Co-Presidents Trump and Musk, dismantling the one force that stands up against abuse and injustice in the workplace – unions. 

The right to unionize is not just about making a living – it’s about making a life, and a good one at that. 

In my district, MA-07, from Cambridge to Roxbury, median income drops by $50,000. we can’t address long standing inequities like this if workers aren’t empowered. 

Throughout our history, unions have fought for and won better wages and benefits and safer working conditions against the greed of big corporations and special interests. 

I’ve witnessed many of these victories firsthand from my early days on the picket lines with my mother – may she rest in power – who taught me early on that workers rights are human rights, and economic justice is workers justice. That truth has not changed. 

Now, more than ever, we need to support unions in protecting their workers. 

I’ll continue to do just that, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill. 

I yield back. 

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