After signing a critical letter to their boss, 139 EPA workers were put under investigation and on a 2-week paid administrative leave July 3.

The workers wrote to EPA administrator Lee Zeldin that the mission of their agency is being undermined by the Trump administration’s actions and asked Zeldin to back away from “harmful deregulation, mischaracterization of previous EPA actions, and disregard for scientific expertise” and re-commit “to his oath to protect the health of the American people and our environment.”

Under Zeldin, the EPA is reconsidering bans on asbestos, weakening rules on mercury, and extending deadlines to remove cancer-causing chemicals from drinking water. Zeldin is also dismantling the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, the letter said, which will kneecap the scientific capacity of the agency and “threaten the health of all Americans.” The agency’s 2026 budget would cut the EPA’s funding by 54 percent.

EPA workers across the country signed the “Declaration of Dissent,” specifying that they were expressing their opinions in their personal capacity, and on their own time. Federal workers have the right express their views as long as they don’t use agency resources to do so, or claim to represent their agencies. (Federal workers speaking to Labor Notes also stressed they were not speaking for their agencies.)

“When I try to comprehend what law or policy they are relying on… I can’t because it’s incomprehensible,” said Suzy Englot, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 3911, at a rally protesting the EPA’s action in New York City on July 9. Thirteen members of her local, covering EPA Region 2, were put on leave.

EPA workers held similar rallies in Seattle, Chicago, and Philadelphia. They were joined by other unions, environmental groups, and public officials.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander blasted Zeldin at the New York rally, which was held near EPA offices at 290 Broadway: “What Lee Zeldin is trying to do is not only destroy the Environmental Protection Agency and not only cow workers into silence, but to instill fear in people for standing up for their rights.”

It’s not working as planned. After the workers were put on leave, many more outraged EPA staffers asked, “Can I still sign?” said Drew Curtis, treasurer of the local. Now 620 have added their names, though most additional signers have stayed anonymous.

BREITBART TOLD FIRST

Insultingly, EPA management sent press releases to right-wing media announcing the retaliation before the workers knew about it, said Joel Waddell, AFGE 3911’s executive vice-president.

Both the Daily Caller and Breitbart parroted press releases touting the retaliation. The Daily Caller headline was “‘ZERO Tolerance’: EPA Brings Down Hammer On Bureaucrats Publicly ‘Sabotaging’ Trump Agenda.”

Union officers who signed the letter, like Englot, have thus far not experienced retaliation. “The only thing keeping me from being on administrative leave right now is that I have an elected union title, and that does not sit right with me,” she said. Englot works on enforcing clean air and water laws “just like my friends who are under investigation. But right now they’re not able to do that work.”

New York EPA workers speculated that the targeting of non-officers might be a management tactic to divide workers from the union, or it might be that management believes union officers have more robust protections against retaliation for speaking out on contract matters.

IT’S IN THE CONTRACT

Federal workers generally cannot negotiate their wages and benefits, which are set by Congress. But they can negotiate working conditions, and in May 2024 workers at the EPA were able to get language in their 4-year contract to “protect scientific integrity and safeguard the agency’s mission from political attacks,” according to AFGE’s Council 238, which covers 8,000 EPA workers.

They also won whistleblower protection for employees who suspect violations. Workers hoped this would mean that administrators couldn’t cover up and lie about the dangers of climate change, among other issues.

“It’s the only example I know of in this country,” said Chris Dols, president of the Federation of Technical and Professional Employees Local 98 at the Army Corps of Engineers. “The workers at EPA put that in there, not in just their own interests, but in the interests of all the people who their work serves.”

The workers’ letter to Zeldin charged that administration actions “frequently contradict the peer-reviewed research and recommendations of Agency experts. Such contradiction undermines EPA’s reputation as a trusted scientific authority.” The letter was copied to relevant Congressional committees.

“The best chance I think we have to make sure that … everybody gets back to their jobs is going to be if we, the broader public, all the environmental organizations, all of the unions, make it very clear that … the political price will be too great,” said Dols at the New York City rally. Dols is a founder of the Federal Unionists Network, a cross-union effort on the front lines of protecting government services.

JUDICIAL LIMBO

For federal workers, chaos has been the only constant since the Trump administration took office and tried to slash staff and eradicate their unions.

There is a dizzying array of lawsuits before the courts in various stages. Some judges have ordered cuts paused as cases are considered, while other cuts have been greenlighted even though the cases have not been resolved. On July 8, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed many agencies to go ahead with layoffs even while a union lawsuit works its way through the courts.

However, the Supreme Court’s ruling won’t apply to some sub-agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Head Start, where cuts are being challenged in a different lawsuit.

In some instances, department heads have backed away from promised cuts in the face of outrage from the public and from their own workers. Veterans Affairs announced that it would do no more layoffs, instead allowing staffing to dwindle through retirements and resignations. The VA’s previously-stated goal of reducing staff by 72,000 has now dropped to 30,000.

Still, VA workers say that understaffing is rampant as vital positions stay vacant. Trump has extended a federal hiring freeze that was supposed to end on July 15 to October 15.

At EPA, 171 workers were originally laid off because they were deemed to be working on environmental justice projects, said Curtis. He said some were called back when the agency realized that it needed their work to function.

In addition to slashing staff, the administration has attempted to unilaterally invalidate union contracts. While Englot said the union is still recognized at her workplace, many agencies are no longer deducting union dues, “official time” leave to do union business is up in the air, and working conditions for workers from TSA to Social Security remain unsettled in flurry of contradictory court decisions.

Federal workers also worry that the recently-passed “Big Beautiful Bill” will launch another round of cuts, this time authorized by Congress. That legislation also attempted to eliminate civil service protections, or require workers to pay 14.4 percent of their paycheck to maintain them. AFGE reports that the union was able to get that and several other anti-worker provisions out of the final bill.

All the threats have caused many federal workers who weren’t yet union members to join, Englot said, and the union feels “activated and strong.”

“Federal unionists have never been more engaged,” said Englot after the rally. “Also, they’ve never been more under attack.”

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