DOJ trial attorneys vote to form its first known unions
Trial attorneys in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Environment and Natural Resources Division have voted to form what could be its first unions. (Photo by Kevin Grant/Shutterstock)
Trial attorneys in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Environment and Natural Resources Division have voted to form what could be its first unions, Bloomberg Law reported Monday.
“The employees who initiated this effort are dedicated public servants who want to help build a stable and supportive work environment,” said Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, in a statement provided to Bloomberg Law.
“Together, these elections show that front-line employees are eager to have a more meaningful voice in their workplace by standing together to bargain collectively and bring about changes that help the agency perform its vital public service missions,” Greenwald also said.
The National Treasury Employees Union will represent the two groups of DOJ attorneys, who voted in secret ballot elections that began Dec. 12 and ended Jan. 9, Bloomberg Law reports. The results still may be contested by managers, who will be overseen by Trump administration-appointed leaders of the DOJ, Bloomberg Law also reports.
Trial attorneys in both divisions began their efforts to unionize after the DOJ announced that it would cut back on remote work flexibility, according to previous reporting by Bloomberg Law. They reportedly also were motivated by President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to fire “rogue bureaucrats” during his campaign.
“The Civil Rights Division and the Environment and Natural Resources Division remain fully committed to the right of our employees to organize consistent with federal law,” a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
