Worker Policy Watch
Your source for accurate and reliable information on how federal policies are shaping workers’ rights—and what’s at stake for working people nationwide under the Trump administration.
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Trump Fires EEOC General Counsel Karla Gilbride
Trump fired the EEOC's General Counsel, Karla Gilbride, an exceptional public servant and the first person with a known disability to serve in that role.
Impact:
Ms. Gilbride was an effective leader of the agency's enforcement division, which won a record $700 million in relief for about 21,000 victims of employment discrimination. Workers will be worse off without her advocacy on their behalf at the agency.
Trump Fires EEOC Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels
In an outrageous attack on civil rights and the rule of law, Trump fired Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels. The EEOC enforces our nation’s civil rights laws in the workplace as an independent agency – where commissioners are confirmed by the Senate to serve set terms, are not a part of the president’s cabinet, and may not be removed because of ideological disagreements with the president.
Impact:
Similar to firing NLRB Board Member Wilcox, firing these commissioners means that the commission will not have a quorum and cannot take votes on policy or enforcement of civil rights laws. Making the EEOC inoperable will make workers more vulnerable to discriminatory exploitation and further entrench inequality and occupational segregation.
Federal employees receive an email from OPM offering them “buyouts” to resign by February 6, and work through September 30, 2025.
This email mirrors the one that Elon Musk sent to Twitter employees once he purchased the platform. It is part of Trump's and Musk's plan to dramatically shrink the federal workforce.
Impact:
Trump and Musk are trying to drive out hard-working federal employees and to gut agencies of their expertise and experience. If successful, their actions will have long-term consequences for the vital services that agencies across the government provide. In addition, experienced federal sector employment attorneys question the legality of some of the terms offered in the buyout, so federal employees should be careful before accepting the offer. Update: On February 6th, a federal district court judge ordered the original February 6th deadline for the Trump Administration’s “buy-out” program be extended, pending argument now scheduled for Monday, February 10.
Trump Appoints Marvin Kaplan Chair of the National Labor Relations Board
Trump reinstates Republican NLRB member Marvin Kaplan as Chair of the National Relations Board (NLRB), marking a return to the anti-worker and pro-employer position of Trump’s first term.
Impact:
Labor unions and worker groups are preparing for a reversal of pro-worker decisions on the board.
Policy Documents Related to LGBTQ Worker Protections Removed From EEOC Website
EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas removed several policy documents from the agency's website relating to protections for LGBTQ workers. The removed resources include several informational pages on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), which held that federal employment civil rights law prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The EEOC also removed its 2021 technical assistance on Bostock and a fact sheet on the commission's policy that denying an employee access to a bathroom corresponding to their gender identity is a violation of civil rights law.
Impact:
Removing these documents from the EEOC website does not change the law or employer obligations to protect the civil rights of their workers. But the action signals to employers that the EEOC is uninterested in enforcing the law in the way it had done in the past, and makes LGBTQ workers more vulnerable to discrimination.
Policy Documents Related to Technology and Workplace Discrimination Removed From EEOC Website
EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas removed several policy documents from the agency's website dealing with the intersection of digital technology and workplace discrimination laws that were published by former Chair Charlotte Burrows. These include technical assistance on employment selection procedures, the use of wearable technology, and protections for workers with disabilities. It also removed a landing page for the EEOC's initiative examing AI and a report on the lack of diversity in STEM fields.
Impact:
As digital technology, including artificial intelligence, proliferates in our workplaces, workers are more vulnerable than ever to discrimination caused by algorithmic bias. Rolling back the important contributions of the EEOC in recent years will put workers at a further disadvantage when dealing with AI-driven discrimination at work.
OPM issues a memo detailing that military spouses may be exempted from the requirement that they return to phyical offices if they are currently working remotely
This is the rare exception to the broad mandate that federal employees must all return to physical offices.
Impact:
This policy recognizes the unique situation of military families, who move often and whose family members may need remote work arrangements.
Trump Fires NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox
Member Wilcox was confirmed by Congress for a set term of five years and, by law, can only be removed for "neglect of duty or malfeasance in office." Opposition to the political positions of the President are not grounds for removal. Wilcox will be pursuing her legal remedies to continue to hold her seat on the Board.
Impact:
With her removal, the NLRB now lacks a quorum and cannot issue any decisions. Employers now have greater ability to delay dealing in good faith with their workers who want to form or are in unions.
Trump Freezes All Federal Aid
The Office of Personnel Management issued a memorandum freezing "all federal financial assistance," even though these payments have been properly authorized by Congress.
Impact:
The breadth of the reach of this order is staggering. Among its many effects is to freeze Congressionally authorized payments to state agencies, including those that administer the unemployment insurance programs, federal grantees including non-profit organizations, and could result in immediate lay-offs across the country, not to mention the disruption in vital services these state agencies and organizations provide.
Trump Fires NLRB General Counsel
Jennifer Abruzzo was fired via email on January 27, 2025.
Impact:
Abruzzo was a fierce advocate for the rights of workers to join unions and collectively bargain with their employers. During her tenure at the NLRB, she used every legal lever available to ensure that workers were able to build and exercise power at work.