The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has moved to strip thousands of employees of Federal Health Agency from their collective negotiating rights, according to a trade union that called the illegal effort.
HHS officials confirmed on Friday that the department puts an end to the recognition of trade unions for a number of employees and to regain office space and equipment used for trade union activities.
It is the final step of the Trump government to put an end to collective negotiations with trade unions that represent federal employees. Earlier affected agencies include the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In May, a Court of Appeal said that the administration could continue with the executive order of Donald Trump that the President strived to terminate collective negotiating rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees while a lawsuit is set.
“This action ensures that HHS and staff are fully focused on protecting the health and safety of the American people,” said the department’s spokesperson Andrew Nixon in a statement.
Officials of the US Federation of Government employees said that strong trade union contracts do not hinder strong reactions to emergency situations to public health. Instead, they help agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have a stable, experienced and supported workforce, the trade union said.
Some CDC employees said that the trade union was a source of information and advocacy for the employees of the office during dismissal this year and in the aftermath of the 8 August shooting attack on the main campus of the CDC in Atlanta.
Since then, the trade union tries to argue for a better emergency system and better security.
Other affected agencies are the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the administration for strategic readiness and response and the Office of Refugee Reese within the administration for children and families.
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