Federal Workers Fight Back
Mark Smith, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1 and FUN organizer. Photo by Will Cavell
On Wednesday February 19, hundreds of federal workers and allied protestors rallied outside of the San Francisco Tesla showroom against Elon Musk’s ongoing attacks on public services. Among the crowd were federal workers who are fighting back against cuts and layoffs from “DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency). The rally was part of a national day of action to “Save Our Services” organized by the Federal Unionists Network (FUN), a grassroots coalition of rank-and-file union activists.
For months President Donald Trump, working hand in hand with Musk, has been bulldozing the public sector in order to pay for tax cuts for the richest Americans. This means gutting our social safety net, rolling back vital protections, and pushing out hundreds of thousands of essential federal employees. Some of the high profile targets of dismantlement include the Department of Education, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and U.S.A.I.D. Tens of thousands of probationary employees have been fired across over a dozen agencies.
The protest in San Francisco was led and emceed by FUN organizer Mark Smith, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1 and DSA member. Speakers included Kim Tavaglione, Executive Director of the San Francisco Labor Council, who said, “This is not a Democrat issue, this is not a Republican issue, this is a worker issue.” She continued, “Our entire society rests upon this fight. We need to get bigger and stronger, and show them that we’re not gonna take this shit no more.” Other speakers included the author Rebecca Solnit, who delivered brief remarks in solidarity: “We love you, we thank you, we know you take care of us and this incredibly complex system they’re trying to break.”
Some of the signs held by protestors included: ““Fire Musk,” “Save Our National Parks,” “Workers Over Billionaires,” and “DOGE is a coup!” San Francisco DSA was well-represented in the crowd.
To get involved with the movement to protect public services, visit the FUN website and join their rapid response network: https://www.federalunionists.net/