The Trump administration’s announcement about unilaterally canceling the collective bargaining agreement with the federal correctional workers union has drawn strong opposition and most likely will lead to legal challenges.

Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and union officials issued statements condemning the notice that the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons canceled bargaining agreement contracts with more than 30,000 correctional workers nationwide.

Saying it’s time for a change, BOP Director William Marshall III called the union “an obstacle to progress instead of a partner in it.” He claimed workers would be protected by civil service laws.

“The current contract has too often slowed or prevented changes that would have made your jobs safer and your workdays better. This is not about questioning the value of representation; it’s about ensuring representation moves us forward, not holds us back,” Marshall added in a director’s message posted on the website.

However, the American Federation of Government Employees Council of Prison Locals isn’t the only union targeted by the Trump administration this year. Similar actions have affected workers at the departments of Treasury, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture.

Employees at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex are among those affected, leading Carbajal to speak against the plan.

“Stripping correctional officers of their collective bargaining rights will only undermine morale, recruitment and retention at a time when staff stability and safety are critical,” Carbajal said. “I stand firmly with the correctional workers at FCC Lompoc and will push for the restoration of their bargaining rights.”

Brandy Moore White, president of the union’s Council of Prison Locals, strongly condemned the action.

“This is not just an attack on our union — it is an attack on every federal employee who serves this country with dedication and sacrifice,” Moore White said. “The collective bargaining agreement is the foundation that ensures fair treatment, workplace protections and a voice for our staff. Removing it undermines the very principles of fairness and democracy in the workplace.”

Union leaders contend that the action aims at silencing their voices.

“We will not stand by while the rights of our members are stripped away,” Moore White added. “We are prepared to take every legal and legislative action necessary to protect our contract and the employees who put their lives on the line every day.” 

The action came as the BOP works to fill vacancies by holding regular hiring fairs in Lompoc, earning recognition as one of two BOP locations holding the highest number of recruiting events.

In April , Carbajal co-sponsored the bipartisan Prison Staffing Reform Act, directing BOP to conduct a review of understaffing, devise a three-year plan to fill vacancies, and implement the plan, as well as submit yearly progress reports to Congress.

The Lompoc FCC includes Federal Correctional Institution I with 875 male low-security inmates.

Nearby sits FCI II, home to 1,903 male low-security inmates  along with two minimum-security satellite camps with 300 inmates. 

FCI II is the former U.S. Penitentiary and received a name change plus inmates with a lower security level. 

The decision regarding collective bargaining agreements came as all federal workers brace for a potential government shutdown as the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. While critical jobs, such as correctional workers and military, would continue, they would face delayed paychecks.

As of Monday , Congress had not approved funding and negotiations were ongoing.