DALLAS—During their lunch period on March 25, members of American Federation of Government Employees Local 1003 marched around and around their building in protest of the Musk/Trump attack on their jobs and everybody’s environmental protection. They work for the Environmental Protection Agency at 1201 Elm Street downtown Dallas. Four TV cameras followed President Justin Chen and about 50 enthusiastic union members and supporters as they marched and chanted with gusto.
“Hey, hey, ho, ho – Musk and Trump have gotta go!” was one of the favorite chants.
Federal government employees, in their long history, have always avoided taking any kind of political stance. Laws have been written specifically to penalize them for speaking up. Even now, with Musk and Trump clearly gutting their agency, many employees are afraid of public action, Chen explained. But he also said that the time for passiveness is long gone. Anyone who hopes to keep their job and hopes to be able to save our planet from almost certain disaster needs to start doing everything they can.
AFGE Local 1003 is not alone. President Chen is a member of the Young Active Labor Leaders who spark the labor movement in North Texas. Sheria Smith, President of AFGE Local 252—U.S. Education Department—also addressed the crowd. Smith was laid off less than two weeks before, and her agency is being ripped apart by Musk and Trump to the detriment of the nation and especially to its children.
Gene Lantz, President of the Dallas Central Labor Council, drew attention to the day’s headline saying that 90 degree temperatures were being reached that day for the first time in 2025. He said that Musk and Trump may burn in Hell, but they are trying to take the rest of the world with them by taking away climate regulation. Lantz, who is also President of the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, assured the AFGE members of total support from all ages in the local labor movement.
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