WGA East Executive Director on Federal Collective Bargaining Executive Order Stripping Workers of Their Right to Unionize

NEW YORK, NY (March 28, 2025)—The following is a statement from Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO (WGAE), Executive Director Sam Wheeler:

Last night President Trump issued an unlawful Executive Order purporting to strip nearly two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights. This illegal attack on roughly 700,000 federal workers and their unions is an assault on the entire labor movement and all American workers.

It’s not surprising that the billionaires in the Trump Administration hate unions. Unions are a bulwark against tyranny, both in the workplace and in civil society. Right now, federal union members are defending the American people from Elon Musk’s reckless and unconstitutional dismantling of the federal government. And we know that these occurrences won’t stop with federal unions—the anti-union zealots in the Administration want every worker in America weak, isolated, disposable and at the mercy of their boss.

The WGAE stands ready to join with our sibling unions and the broader labor movement to resist this attack on working people. We must stand together.

The Guild will be in touch with members about opportunities to stand with our union siblings in the days and weeks to come.

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,000 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.

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