February 14, 2020
Dear Representative,
On behalf of more than 50,000 federal workers within the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), I am writing to you with great concern regarding President Trump’s urging to remove all union rights from the Department of Defense (DOD) workers. Federal law grants federal employees collective bargaining rights under the law and a signature on a memo should not be able to wipe away these statutory rights.
On January 29, 2020, President Trump issued a memo to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper giving him the authority to exclude federal workers under the Department of Defense from having representation so they may have the “flexibility to respond to threats to carry out its mission of protecting the American people.” The memo titled “Delegation of Certain Authority under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute” questions the loyalty of federal employees who are the most patriotic workers in this country and working for the defense department clearly proves their national duty to protect Americans here and abroad.
President Trump’s goal to take away union representation has been coming since the day he took office. His attack on workers that include the longest federal shutdown in history and the signing of Executive Orders is an assault that will eventually carry over to the private sector. Using the coverage of “National Security” insults workers who have given their lives working for the DOD.
The Machinists Union has serious concerns about the appropriateness of this memo and asks you to seek answers on why this action was necessary.
For more information or if you have questions, please contact my Legislative Director Hasan Solomon at 301-967-4575 or hsolomon@iamaw.org.
Respectfully,
Robert Martinez, Jr.
International President
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
