Photo Credit: https://jacobin.com/2025/02/trump-musk-federal-workers-unionize
Government workers are on the move to fight the MAGA assault on public services and public workers. They need and deserve the support of the entire labor movement and of the public they serve.
On February 19, federal workers and supporters rallied to “Save Our Services” at over 30 “Save our Services” rallies around the country Wednesday, including in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver, Boston, Boise, Chattanooga and Chicago. The rallies were organized by a new group, the Federal Unionists Network (FUN), composed of members of many different unions of federal workers who organized the rallies primarily through phone calls. The rallies were held at federal offices like the Department of Health and Human Services, at Tesla dealerships and public space. Many of the rallies were endorsed by local or national chapters of federal worker unions. Chris Dols, president of IFTPE Local 98 at the Army Corps of Engineers, told a New York rally:
The only way we have out of this is if the federal workforce on the front lines puts out a call to the broader labor movement and enters the streets and makes this a political crisis that they cannot manage.
The FUN was working in collaboration with another new labor network, Labor for Higher Education. Its rally in Philadelphia had 300 participants. At the University of Washington in Seattle, 500 demonstrators backed by Auto Workers Local 4121, the University of Washington Academic Workers, demanded an end to federal cuts and funding freezes for research.
AFGE has been holding rallies with workers marching around their agency buildings in locations around the country. They invite supporters to join them. The union says it had gained more than 20,000 members since January 1. That compares to 7,400 new members in all of 2024.
NBC News reports that:
At events from Georgia and Wisconsin to Oklahoma and Oregon, House Republicans faced sometimes-hostile crowds furious about the sweeping budget cuts and mass firings of federal workers that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are carrying out. https://www.nbcnews.com/
And on March 4th educators, students, parents and community allies will hold a “Protect Our Kids” day of action against assaults on public education and on opportunity for America’s youth, led by the American Federation of Teachers.
For more information and to connect:
American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of Government Employees EPA council
Federal Unionists Network (FUN)
A group of federal workers have created a new website called “We the Builders” to provide a secure outlet to share anonymous stories and technical expertise about the dismantling of government agencies.
For on-going coverage of government worker organizing and action follow Labor Notes.
For a perspective on strategy, see “How Federal Workers Can Defeat Musk’s Coup” by Eric Blanc.