Service Employees International Union President (SEIU) April Verrett made the following statement after the union joined a lawsuit to prevent DOGE from accessing workers’ confidential labor complaints and personal information at the Department of Labor.

WASHINGTON, DC – “The dedicated civil servants at the Department of Labor work tirelessly to protect workers of all backgrounds against wage theft, discrimination, and harassment of all forms. They enforce the law to ensure our workplaces are safe, we receive the overtime pay, sick leave and FMLA that we’re entitled to, and that whistleblowers do not face retaliation. Most importantly, they protect our right to form unions and fight back against bad bosses who violate the law to exploit workers who are simply trying to feed their families, pay the rent or serve their communities in essential jobs.

That’s why SEIU is proud to join our union siblings at AFL-CIO, AFSCME, CWA, AFGE and the Economic Policy Institute in filing our second lawsuit this week to stop this gross overreach.

Working people showed up to protest yesterday at the Department of Labor to tell unelected, union-busting billionaires that they have no business trying to get access to complaints workers have filed about their corporations or their competitors for their personal advantage.

We won’t stop until working people are made whole once again. Our personal data must be truly secure, our rights on the job must be protected, and anyone who directed these dangerous schemes must be held accountable.”

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