The Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) and the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots (MM&P), both affiliates of the Nautilus Federation, have joined the AFL-CIO and four other national labour organisations in the USA, to file a lawsuit against a sweeping executive order by President Trump that strips collective bargaining rights from many federal agency civilian employees, including those sailing in the Army Corps of Engineers fleet, and in the Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Executive Order 14251, issued March 27, claims national security as justification for eliminating long-standing collective bargaining rights and union protections.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., challenges the executive order as unconstitutional and beyond the President’s legal authority. It cites six violations, including infringement on First Amendment rights, due process, and existing federal labour law.
According to the suit, the defence secretary’s implementation of the order was arbitrary. While some trade workers at a handful of military depots were spared, most civilian engineers and technical workers lost their union protections overnight. Agencies stopped processing grievances, union subscriptions deducted from wages, and other basic functions spelled out in long-standing collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
A MEBA spokesperson said: ‘MEBA’s participation in this legal challenge is consistent with our long tradition of defending workers’ rights, both at sea and ashore. Our members who serve in federal roles, like MSC and Army Corps know how critical union representation is to workplace fairness, safety, and accountability.’
MM&P international president Don Josberger said: ‘MM&P has had positive and mutually beneficial collective bargaining relationships with all our federal employers for decades, without any negative impact on national security,’
‘Our union will continue to fight to keep our members’ rights to collective bargaining intact.’
MM&P federal employees membership group vice president Dave Narby said: ‘Eliminating partnerships with unions would harm both recruitment and retention, resulting in less sealift capability and negatively affecting national security.’
‘It would also go counter to the laudable policy efforts of this administration to strengthen the US maritime industry.”’
‘Our members’ exclusion from collective bargaining has nothing to do with our nation's security,’ said MM&P government fleet representative Randi Ciszewski.
The full complaint can be found here.
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