President Bush signed an executive order yesterday that strips around 8,600 federal employees of collective bargaining rights. He cited "national security requirements" in denying these rights to employees in areas of law enforcement and intelligence. The President of the National Treasury Employees Union said that the union represents 1,600 workers at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, noting that those employees have exercised collective bargaining rights for at least 30 years without impeding the function or efficiency of the agency. These employees are among those affected by Bush's order.
See "Some Federal Workers Lose Bargaining Rights", Robert Pear, The New York Times, December 1, 2008