Unions, Community Groups, and Advocacy Organizations Join Together to Defend Professional Integrity in the Federal Sector
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Katie Barrows
Communications Director
P: 202-549-5991
kbarrows@dpeaflcio.org
WASHINGTON, May 6, 2025 - Today, labor unions and organizations announce the formation of the Coalition for Professional Integrity to protect and promote professional integrity across the federal sector. These organizations have united due to increasing reports of federal employees being pressured to compromise professional standards and withhold honest findings when performing their work in service of the American people.
The current administration has eliminated entire agencies, reduced staff within departments, and put pressure on federal workers to follow directives that go against their professional education and training. The culture of intimidation and fear fostered by the Trump administration is a threat to the essential work and services provided by the federal government. The Coalition for Professional Integrity is committed to advancing policies that will ensure professionals in the federal sector do not have to choose between keeping their jobs or compromising their professional integrity. These policies include strengthening civil service protections and union rights, establishing more safeguards for professional autonomy, and greater protections for whistleblowers.
“Professionals in the federal sector perform essential work that serves all Americans, like protecting the air we breathe, caring for our veterans, and analyzing data to keep our transportation systems running safely,” said Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Jennifer Dorning. “The recent threats to federal workers’ professional integrity puts the safety and security of the American people at risk. I’m proud to announce the formation of the Coalition of Professional Integrity with my fellow member organizations. Our coalition is dedicated to standing with workers in the federal sector so they can continue to serve our country while upholding their professional values and standards.”
Members of the Coalition for Professional Integrity include Actors’ Equity Association (Equity), Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), Government Accountability Project, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), and National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE).
“AFGE is proud to join our partners in the Coalition for Professional Integrity to safeguard the expertise, honesty, and independence essential to good government. Professional integrity ensures federal employees can serve the American people effectively, protecting our communities from abuses of power, reckless spending, and unethical practices. When we weaken these safeguards, we put public trust at risk and invite deeper harm to our democracy and the services Americans depend on every day. Together, we’re drawing a hard line against corruption and demanding the integrity the American people deserve,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley.
“It’s crucial that professionals have the ability to do the job they were trained to do without being hindered by politics or special interests,” said Fedrick Ingram, AFT Secretary-Treasurer and Chair of the DPE General Board. “And yet public service employees have come under intense pressure, facing threats to their jobs and resources, as they work to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. These attacks undermine their work and ability to serve the public good. That is why we’re joining this effort to defend professional integrity. Public service professionals, focused on doing the best job they can, deserve protection, not retaliation.”
“IFPTE members who work for the federal government count on the merit system protections, accountability, good governance standards, and the nonpartisan and unbiased basis of our civil service. These professional standards don’t just protect federal employees from improper political interference and unfair or corrupt government policies and practices – they protect the American public and sustain trust in government institutions and services. With the professional integrity of the federal government facing unprecedented attacks, IFPTE is a proud member of the Coalition for Professional Integrity, and we look forward to building the Coalition to defend and uphold the commitment to an ethical, merit-based, and unbiased civil service and a federal government that works for the public interest,” said IFPTE President Matthew Biggs.
“It is critical that the civil service remains apolitical and uncompromised by special interests,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “There are professional standards that have been established and refined over decades of good governance from both major political parties. When these professional standards are threatened, public services can be significantly reduced and harmed, and the American people will suffer the consequences. We must protect the core principles that allow federal workers and contractors to deliver on their missions in a safe and ethical manner.”
About the Coalition for Professional Integrity
The Coalition for Professional Integrity is a group of organizations and unions who have joined together to advance policies to protect and promote professional integrity across the federal sector.
About DPE
The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.