In a win for public service workers yesterday, a federal district judge in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction to stop the closure of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which had been ordered to be dismantled by the White House in March.
The case was brought by 21 states. The preliminary injunction also halted the closing of a third agency, the Minority Business and Development Agency.
AFSCME and its allies have been fighting in court to prevent the illegal shuttering by the Trump administration of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The agency supports and funds museums and libraries across the country, home to many of AFSCME’s 45,000 cultural workers.
Last week, a federal judge ruled for AFSCME in our case and issued a temporary restraining order to stop the White House from closing the IMLS while the case moves forward. Yesterday’s ruling in the Attorney Generals’ case reinforces the one AFSCME won last week, and the IMLS should continue to operate for now as a result.
Yesterday’s ruling also keeps the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a key labor relations agency, open. Among other things, FMCS helps resolve contract negotiations between workers and employers to protect both the economy and workers’ rights. AFSCME is also fighting alongside other labor unions and allies in a separate case to prevent the FMCS’s closure, and we await a decision on our motion for a preliminary injunction there
In support of his ruling, Judge John McConnell, Jr., cited as evidence AFSCME put in the record. The judge explained that AFSCME is currently using the FMCS in multiple mediations and how, by closing the FMCS, AFSCME and other public sector unions will be required to find more costly, time-consuming ways to resolve disputes.
These rulings bring relief for AFSCME members, as their jobs and the services they provide are being threatened – all to pay for billionaire tax breaks.
Let’s GO
AFSCME is fighting the administration’s cuts through its Get Organized campaign. AFSCME GO is about making sure that everyone understands what’s at stake in this fight. It’s about standing up to the billionaires and anti-union extremists trying to steal our power, and defeating any efforts to gut key programs including Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.