The Trump administration is gutting the rights of federal workers in unions.

Here’s why that matters to all of us.

By Liz Shuler

Union members—and all workers—are under attack from President Donald Trump’s executive orders and unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE. But attacks on union contracts and the right to collective bargaining have much larger implications.

When the workers who make sure our food is safe to eat, care for our veterans, protect us from public health emergencies and much more no longer have a voice on the job or the ability to organize their coworkers, everyday Americans lose the services they count on. It makes it harder to provide the services we all rely on.

It’s also clear that attacks on unions that are leading the fight against the administration’s illegal actions in court are a blatant attempt to silence us. But the labor movement is no stranger to these fights, and we won’t let Trump and an unelected billionaire destroy what we’ve fought for generations to build.

There is no quick fix or one easy solution to win this fight. It’s going to take a lot of work and organizing. And we won’t win every fight.

I started out as an organizer at my union IBEW Local 125, where my whole family worked for Portland General Electric. The power linemen—almost all men—were in the union, including my dad. They could speak up without fear, and they were treated with respect. They had a contract that got them good pay and health care.

My mom and I worked in the office, and it was almost like a different world. We were in support roles, working our tails off, but didn’t have that protection.

The company came at us with everything it had to discourage the union. Captive audience meetings about why we shouldn’t vote yes. The CEO calling my mom in for a one on one meeting—meant to intimidate her. But he didn’t know my mom, and it only fueled our resolve.

All that harassment did intimidate people, and we came up short in that election.

But we didn’t give up. We used the set back to make us stronger. It lit a fire under us, and we were more determined than ever to fight for workers. That’s what drives me to this day, and it’s what we all need to do over the next weeks, months, and years.

Along with organizing, another key to the upcoming fights is solidarity. Not just across the labor movement, but every group and person across the country helping and protecting each other.

Because when it comes to federal unions and workers who deliver critical services they are not ‘line items’ on a spreadsheet. These are our lives, our communities, the services we count on.

There is no one in this country that this does not touch.

And if you’re a worker out there saying, it’s not *my* job: I promise you, this will hit home. We’ve seen this before. Back in 1981 with the Air traffic controllers PATCO strike when Ronald Reagan busted their union.

When they come after one union they come after all of us as working people. They weaken all of our ability to have better pay, better benefits, safety and security on the job.

We will not let that happen. Trump and Musk don’t have the support of almost 70% of this country. Unions do.

And if Trump and Musk want to make up their own fake government agency to attack workers, then we can create our own department to defend them. The Department of People Who Work For A Living is laying out the facts and the truth about what is happening, proposing solutions that benefit all working people, and giving everyone a plan and the tools to help fight back.

We hope you will follow us to get all of the latest information and join us in this month as we will be holding worker town halls across the country.

Workers and unions are a force in this country that connects people of all backgrounds, all politics and all beliefs and gives them a way to fight back. And that scares the politicians because we have power when we stand together.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do right now. For all workers. And for everyone’s future.

Amid the attacks on so many of our friends, family, and services that we rely on, it can be easy to feel frustrated, not know what to do, or even hope. But, like I said, labor is used to hard and long fights.

Fourteen years ago in Wisconsin, Scott Walker tried to destroy workers and their unions. But we didn’t give up. We kept fighting. We kept organizing. And on top of many other victories since then, workers just defeated Musk and his millions of dollars in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.

If we all keep standing together—like the incredible energy I felt joining so many of you at the Hands Off rallies—we’re going to keep beating the billionaires and make this country work for working people.

Liz Shuler is president of the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the country.

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