Unions for Weather Service, Patent Office Sue Trump for Ending Collective Bargaining

The president’s executive order naming the two agencies violates the employees’ First and Fifth Amendment rights, the lawsuit contends.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on July 15, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Labor unions representing employees of the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) filed a lawsuit on Sept. 2 challenging President Donald Trump’s Aug. 28 directive to end collective bargaining for the two Commerce Department agencies.

On March 27, Trump signed an executive order to end collective bargaining at federal unions representing employees working at agencies with national security missions. The Aug. 28 order expanded the list to include more agencies, including the NWS and PTO.