Federal agencies FEMA and USCIS have decided to discontinue collective bargaining rights for their employees.
In a significant shift in labor relations, collective bargaining rights for federal employees at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been terminated as of August 2025 [1][2]. This decision follows a Trump-era executive order from March 27, 2025, which excluded agencies with "national security missions" from the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 [1][2][5].
USCIS and FEMA's collective bargaining agreements have been cancelled, and the agencies are ending the use of office space and resources for union activities, revoking official time, and halting grievance and arbitration processes [1]. The move has been met with opposition from federal union officials and internal agency documents indicate that this is part of a broader federal approach to exclude union collective bargaining in agencies with national security missions [5].
USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser stated that protecting national security, public safety, and the sanctity of borders is the agency's top priority, and that union management diverts time and energy from this critical mission [1]. FEMA did not provide a public comment on its decision to terminate the union contracts [1]. The administration’s authority to proceed with the executive order was upheld by a federal appeals court in July 2025 despite ongoing legal challenges from unions such as the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which claims the move violates workers’ First Amendment rights and continues to litigate against the decision [1][3][5].
AFGE Local 4060, which represents FEMA employees, plans to continue fighting the Trump administration in court over this decision [1]. AFGE National President Everett Kelley has vowed to continue to fight in court over Trump’s anti-union actions, and believes AFGE "will ultimately prevail" [1]. Notably, certain groups like police officers and firefighters remain exempted from these terminations at some agencies [3].
| Agency | Current Status (Aug 2025) | Reason for Termination | Notes | |------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | USCIS | Collective bargaining rights terminated; union contracts canceled | National security focus per Trump executive order | USCIS cited distraction from mission; no union engagement for 6 months prior [1][3] | | FEMA | Collective bargaining rights terminated; union contracts canceled | Cited under same national security rationale | No public comment from FEMA; police/firefighters exempted [1][3] |
The terminations at USCIS impact union contracts with both the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council [1]. Federal union representatives are expected to return to other work duties full-time [1]. The news of USCIS and FEMA ending their collective bargaining agreements was first reported by The Washington Post [1].
References: - [1] narfe.org (2025-08-18) - [2] talkingpointsmemo.com (2025-08-12) - [3] onlabor.org (2025-08-14) - [5] epi.org (2025-08-11)
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The cancellations are effective immediately for both USCIS and FEMA.
Following an appeals court decision, the Trump administration has been allowed to move forward with implementing President Donald Trump's March 27 executive order to terminate union activities at most agencies.
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency have also terminated their union contracts and cancelled all use of official time for union representatives.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Trump would have taken the action to cancel union activities anyway, based on the language of the executive order and a White House fact sheet.
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Our platform's reporter, Drew Friedman, contributed to this report.
- The policy-and-legislation surrounding the federal workforce has been reimagined, as President Donald Trump's executive order from March 27, 2025 has led to the termination of collective bargaining rights for federal employees at agencies like the USCIS and FEMA, effective August 2025.
- In the wake of this change, federal agencies such as the USCIS and FEMA have been revoking office space and resources for union activities, ending official time for union representatives, and halting grievance and arbitration processes.
- The news of these changes, including the cancellation of collective bargaining agreements, has been met with opposition from federal union officials and has been a topic of general-news discussion, with ongoing legal challenges from unions like the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
