A Blow to Federal Worker Protections?
The FLRA serves as the labor arbiter for federal employees, ensuring fair labor practices within the government workforce. Unlike the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which governs private-sector unions, the FLRA protects nonpostal federal workers.
Since its creation in 1979, Congress has sought to keep the three-member agency bipartisan, preventing any one party from gaining full control. Grundmann’s lawsuit claims that by abruptly firing her, Trump undermined the agency’s impartiality and put its functionality at risk.
Without Grundmann, the remaining two-member board could deadlock on key labor disputes, leaving critical issues unresolved for federal workers nationwide.
A Pattern of High-Profile Firings
Grundmann isn’t the only official Trump has removed in a dramatic post-election shake-up.
In late January, Trump fired two Democratic members of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—Chair Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels—along with EEOC General Counsel Karla Gilbride. Around the same time, he also terminated NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and Democratic board member Gwynne Wilcox.
Norman L. Eisen, one of Grundmann’s attorneys, called Trump’s actions a direct threat to federal labor protections.
“This is not just an attack on Ms. Grundmann,” Eisen stated. “This is a frontal assault on every federal worker who relies on the FLRA to fairly adjudicate labor and management issues. They count on her and the authority to be able to do their job efficiently and effectively.”
