President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Monday to end remote work for federal employees, threatening to fire those who do not return to the office. This move challenges a Biden administration labor contract that allows telework arrangements until 2029, affecting nearly 49,000 federal workers.
“If people don’t come back to work – come back into the office – they’re going to be dismissed,” Trump insisted during his first post-election press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “And somebody in the Biden administration gave a five-year waiver of that so that for five years people don’t have to come back into the office.”
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Trump announced plans to take the issue to court, criticizing the agreement as a “gift to a union” from the Biden administration.
The remote work provision in question was included in a contract between the Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 42,000 employees. The terms of the agreement allow employees to work remotely up to three days a week, depending on the job.
“Collective bargaining agreements entered into by the federal government are binding and enforceable under the law,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement. “We trust the incoming administration will abide by their obligations to honor lawful union contracts. If they fail to do so, we will be prepared to enforce our rights.”
Trump has tasked the forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, to cut government spending, citing underutilized federal office spaces. The new administration’s stance has sparked debate about the future of federal work arrangements and their economic impact.
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