EPA union sues Trump administration to restore collective bargaining contract

The union representing more than 8,000 Environmental Protection Agency employees has taken the agency and its administrator, Lee Zeldin, to court over the loss of its labor contract. Two local affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees sued on Tuesday, arguing that the EPA had no lawful justification for scrapping the deal and acted to suppress political dissent, which they say violates workers' First Amendment rights. They want a court to reinstate the agreement, according to The Guardian.

The agency canceled the contract in August 2025, invoking an executive order from Donald Trump earlier that year that aimed to end collective bargaining for over 1 million federal employees. The agreement had been in force since June 2024 and was meant to last until June 2028. Among its terms was a scientific integrity provision shielding staff from retaliation. Justin Chen, president of AFGE Council 238, said employees who are "gagged" and without rights cannot properly serve the public or the agency's mission. The EPA declined to comment, pointing to its long-standing practice of staying silent on pending litigation.

The suit follows a separate win for labor this month. An arbitrator sided with members of AFGE Local 704 after the agency disciplined 139 employees who signed a letter of dissent, a breach of their contract. Emails showed a senior EPA lawyer had cautioned about the legal exposure. The arbitrator directed the EPA to clear the workers' records, pay back wages and reimburse the union's legal fees.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →