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The Trump administration is cutting almost the entire workforce at a small, independent agency that handles collective bargaining disputes in the private sector and across the federal workforce.
The Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service is terminating most of its employees and services by the end of the day Wednesday, according to four employees who spoke to Federal News Network.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month eliminating FMCS “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law,” along with six other small agencies and programs.
Senior Executive Service officials at FMCS told regional managers about the terminations in a call Wednesday morning. Most managers then notified their employees in another call later that morning.
FMCS had about 220 total employees at the end of last year, according to its most recent budget request.
Employees said only a “skeleton crew” of about a dozen employees will remain at FMCS.
“There will be a small D.C. headquarters team to continue what the administration considers to be the statutorily mandated services,” one employee said.
Congress created FMCS when it passed the 1947 Labor-Management Relations Act. The agency handles labor issues in both the federal workforce and in the private sector.
In fiscal 2024, the agency conducted over 5,400 mediated negotiations and provided more than 10,000 arbitration panels to settle labor disputes.
“Nearly all of the services we’ve provided — mediation for collective bargaining, grievances, employment disputes, EEOC complaints, and trainings with both unions and management to promote labor peace — are no longer going to be provided,” another employee said.
The agency wrote in a statement that its $55 million annual budget is less than 0.0014% of the federal budget and it saves the American economy well over $500 million each year.
This is a developing story and will be updated
The post Federal labor mediation agency cuts staff down to ‘skeleton crew’ first appeared on Federal News Network.