Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Ending Collective Bargaining for Some Federal Workers

The unions were likely to prove that an executive order had a chilling effect on free speech under the First Amendment, the judge says.

Protesters hold signs in solidarity with the American Federation of Government Employees of District 14 at a rally in support of federal workers at the Office of Personnel Management in Washington on March 4, 2025. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge on June 24 blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from eliminating collective bargaining for hundreds of thousands of federal workers at 21 agencies, finding that unions suing the administration over the move were likely to succeed in their lawsuit.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other unions in April challenging President Donald Trump’s March 27 executive order that removed collective bargaining rights from around 950,000 federal employees.