Federal Employee Unions Sue DOGE and the Department of Labor

On. Feb. 5, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations; American Federation of Government Employees; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; Service Employees International Union; Communication Workers of America; and the Economic Policy Institute—all represented by Democracy Forward—sued the Department of Labor, the Acting Secretary of Labor Vince Micone, the U.S. Digital (DOGE) Service, and the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. 

Plaintiffs allege that DOGE-affiliated employees plan to enter the Department of Labor on Feb. 5 and will attempt to gain access to sensitive data and processes, including personal information of government employees and Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigations. 

The lawsuit alleges that, “DOGE seeks to gain access to sensitive systems before courts can stop them, dismantle agencies before Congress can assert its prerogatives in the federal budget, and intimidate and threaten employees who stand in their way, worrying about the consequences later.” 

It contends that DOGE is conducting ultra vires acts—meaning undertaken without requisite legal authority—in its directions to government agencies and violating the Administrative Procedures Act. Plaintiffs are requesting the court to block DOGE-related personnel from gaining unlawful access to the Department of Labor.

Read the lawsuit here or below.