A federal judge, Paul Friedman, has temporarily blocked an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at ending collective bargaining rights for the majority of federal workers, affecting about 75% of nearly one million unionized federal employees. The National Treasury Employees Union, representing approximately 160,000 federal workers, filed a lawsuit arguing the order would violate labor rights and is unconstitutional, threatening the union's membership and finances. The order sought to exempt over a dozen federal agencies, including those related to national security, from bargaining with unions, and was part of an effort to reduce the federal government's size by easing worker discipline and dismissal. The U.S. Treasury Department also initiated legal action against the union to nullify a collective bargaining agreement for IRS employees. The temporary injunction will remain pending as Judge Friedman plans to issue a detailed opinion and has requested legal strategies from both parties involved in the lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman issued a temporary injunction against President Trump's executive order aimed at ending collective bargaining rights for most federal workers, following a lawsuit by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

The NTEU, representing about 160,000 federal employees, argued that the executive order would violate federal workers’ labor rights, was unconstitutional, and would drastically reduce the union's membership and financial dues.

Trump's order intended to exempt more than a dozen federal agencies, including the Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services departments, from the requirement to negotiate with unions.

The executive order was part of a broader administration effort to streamline the federal government by making it easier to discipline and fire workers and alter working conditions.

The U.S. Treasury Department filed a lawsuit against the NTEU to invalidate a collective bargaining agreement involving IRS employees, further complicating the legal landscape around the executive order.

Judge Friedman's temporary injunction will stay in place until the lawsuit's outcome is determined, and he plans to provide an opinion on his ruling soon, inviting both parties to suggest how the case should proceed.

The legal proceedings underscore the tension between the Trump administration's policy objectives and the preservation of federal employees' labor rights, with potential implications for government operations and employee relations.