Betsy DeVos’ Education Department has been accused of engaging in bad faith bargaining by federal labor mediators, according to a statement from the American Federation of Government Employees on Tuesday. The conflict stems from a new set of work rules that the Education Department allegedly imposed on its employees illegally, curtailing their protections and fair access to union representation. Union officials say that the anti-union work rules are reflective of wide-reaching executive orders and that other federal agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration have had similar rules imposed on them. According to the FLRA, the Education Department imposed a “collective bargaining agreement” in February that they said was reflective of both sides’ final offers, after nearly a year of negotiations came to an impasse.
See "Education Dept. Illegally Curbed Workers’ Union Protections, Mediators Suggest", Erica L. Green, The New York Times, July 25, 2018