DOJ environment division voted to unionize before Trump return

By Pamela King | 01/24/2025 04:15 PM EST

The path forward is unclear as the new administration takes control of the department.

Department of Justice headquarters is seen.

The votes to unionize came just before the arrival of the new Trump administration, which has taken aim at the rights of federal workers and has staffed DOJ’s leadership ranks with the president’s personal lawyers. Francis Chung/POLITICO

The Justice Department’s environment and civil rights divisions voted to unionize just days before President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to recent filings with the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Attorneys in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division voted on Jan. 9 and its Environment and Natural Resources Division on Jan. 10 to select the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) as their exclusive representation, the filings show.

The votes came just before the arrival of the new Trump administration, which has taken aim at the rights of federal workers and has staffed DOJ’s leadership ranks with the president’s personal lawyers.

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Those DOJ leaders will be seated at the bargaining table during contract negotiations with the new units.

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