Union Representing EPA Employees Demands Reinstatement After Dissent Suspension

A union representing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees is demanding the immediate reinstatement of 139 staffers who were placed on administrative leave after signing a letter critical of the Trump administration’s environmental policies. In a letter addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, called the suspensions illegal retaliation and urged the agency to halt all disciplinary investigations. The employees in question were among hundreds who signed a June 30 letter accusing the EPA of undermining science and advancing harmful deregulatory actions. The letter came amid a sweeping agency reorganization directed by President Trump, which includes staff cuts and the termination of programs such as environmental justice grants. Chen stated that the employees were exercising their rights to protected speech under federal law and their collective bargaining agreement. “These employees engaged in protected speech on a matter of significant public concern,” he wrote. AFGE Council 238, an independent labor union representing more than 8,000 EPA workers nationwide, has long advocated for the rights of federal scientists and staff. The union emphasized that suppressing dissent not only violates worker protections but also erodes public trust in the agency's mission. While the EPA has not commented on the union's demands, it previously stated that it has a "zero-tolerance policy" for employees who "undermine" the administration’s agenda. The dispute highlights rising tensions between agency leadership and career staff amid the administration’s controversial approach to environmental policy and science.