Applauded by Union leaders, Biden canceled five executive orders from Trump presidency- 1 involving “Schedule F,” 3 regarding collective bargaining rights, and another that halted diversity training in agencies.
After his inauguration, some of Biden’s first actions in office involved tossing out executive orders signed by President Trump. Some of these items included stopping the construction and funding of the border wall, removing travel restrictions that were placed on middle-eastern countries, rejoining the Paris Agreement, and more. Five of these orders that reversed policy had more impact on the Federal workforce than others.
Schedule F is Gone
In the last month before the 2020 Presidential election, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) sued the Trump administration over an executive order that instilled ‘Schedule F.’ The move was highly criticized by unions and commentators for attempting to undo the merit system that has been upheld in US Civil Service since the late 19th century. Biden ordered agencies to cancel the implementation of this policy in his first week as president.
Collective Bargaining Rights
At the onset of the summer in 2018, another union group for federal workers, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), also took the Trump White House to court over a trio of executive orders. One order encouraged outside arbitration (bargaining) and another likewise encouraged agencies to quickly penalize workers for poor performance and misconduct (disciplinary actions). The third of the orders limited federal employees to 1 hour of “official time” that could be used for union duties. The directives regarding official time and bargaining will be canceled, but even though the order about disciplinary policies was tossed, a lot of the resultant practices have been formalized in agency regulations.
Diversity in Federal Agencies
In September, the White House effectively stopped diversity and inclusion training programs that were being conducted. The reasoning was so the content could be reviewed for “divisive concepts,” such as gender, race, and stereotyping. Biden canceled this executive order last week and also signed another. The newly decreed order instructs agencies to review their policies and regulations to ensure there are safeguards to prevent discrimination against religious, gender, or racial groups.
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