NJEA leadership expressed strong opposition to a new executive order from the Trump administration targeting the collective bargaining rights of federal employees. NJEA President Sean Spiller, Vice President Steve Beatty, and Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson issued a joint statement condemning the order.
They said, "If anyone needed more evidence that the Trump administration has declared war on working families, his latest executive order attempting to end collective bargaining rights for most unionized federal workers is proof."
The statement criticized Trump’s past business practices and suggested his presidential actions are an extension of those practices. "As a casino owner and real estate developer, Trump was famous for refusing to pay people after they did work for him. Now he is abusing his position as president, hoping to make millions more families across America live in fear that their next paycheck could be in jeopardy if they don’t support his harmful agenda. It’s hard to imagine something more un-American."
NJEA leaders also argued that the order reflects Trump's fear of union power. "It’s also further evidence that he’s a weak president who fears the power of the American people, and of union workers in particular. He knows that when working people stand up for their rights and dignity, he and his billionaire buddies don’t hold all the power. Unions are a powerful voice for working people. That’s why Trump fears and resents them."
The statement called on Congress to take a stand against the executive order. "It’s time for Congress to decide where it stands. Will it keep submitting to Trump’s anti-union, anti-worker, anti-family agenda or will it finally stand with the American people and oppose this latest attack on our fundamental rights?"
NJEA officials concluded by reaffirming their support for federal workers and families affected by the order. "As proud union leaders and advocates of social justice for all people, we know exactly where we stand. We are in solidarity with the federal workers and their families whom Trump is attacking today, just like we have stood in solidarity with every group that has been targeted by his other cruel and harmful policies."
"We will always take the side of working people who unite to fight exploitation, abuses of power and the insatiable greed of people like Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the other corporate elites who fear our power."
