EPA Workers' Union Sues Agency Over Termination of Collective Bargaining Deal
The union representing over 8,000 EPA employees has filed a lawsuit against the agency and Administrator Lee Zeldin, claiming the 2024 collective bargaining agreement was unlawfully ended.
A lawsuit was lodged Tuesday by two AFGE locals on behalf of more than 8,000 Environmental Protection Agency workers, accusing the agency and Administrator Lee Zeldian of illegally ending their collective bargaining agreement. The filing argues the termination, carried out in August 2025, ignored required justification and was intended to suppress political dissent, infringing on First Amendment protections. The contested contract, effective from June 2024 to June 2028, contained a scientific integrity provision to shield staff from retaliation.
The union, led by AFGE Council 238 president Justin Chen, is asking a court to restore the agreement. The agency has not responded, invoking its standard practice of not commenting on ongoing lawsuits. This action follows a recent arbitrator ruling that ordered the EPA to clear disciplinary records and pay back wages to workers who had signed an open dissent letter, despite internal warnings about legal risk. Since Trump assumed office in January 2025, roughly 4,000 EPA employees have left, shrinking the workforce to about 12,700.
