For Immediate Release
May 14, 2025
Contact: Communications Director Nikki Gamer | Cell #: (978) 884-0003 | gamer@afsa.org

Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) welcomes today’s ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granting our motion for a preliminary injunction against the executive order stripping Foreign Service members of their right to union representation.

The Court sided unequivocally with AFSA, finding that all legal factors favored our position and rejecting the administration’s sweeping use of “national security” to justify actions that would dismantle established statutory protections. The opinion warned against “recasting decisions related to ‘the general welfare’ as ‘national security’ determinations” without legal basis.

“This ruling is a significant victory—not just for our members, but for the integrity of the Foreign Service and for the accountability and transparency of our member agencies,” AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi said.

The court’s ruling immediately halts continued implementation of the executive order that stripped State Department and USAID Foreign Service members of their collective bargaining rights, ensuring that AFSA remains their exclusive representative while the legal challenge proceeds, preserving critical workplace protections and union representation.

“AFSA stands as a firewall against attempts to undermine the nonpartisan, professional nature of the Foreign Service,” Yazdgerdi said. “We will continue to defend this institution and our members—resolutely and unwaveringly — against any threat.”

To read the court’s opinion, click here.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is the professional association and labor union of the men and women of the United States Foreign Service.