A US labor union has asked a federal judge to block Elon Musk from accessing the Department of Labor’s systems, citing concerns about independence and potential sensitive information. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) fears that DOGE, the government cost-cutting effort led by Musk, could gain access to investigations into his companies’ safety records.
Musk, who is also the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, has been tasked with identifying fraud and waste in the government. The AFL-CIO claims that DOGE’s plan to access Labor Department information systems would give Musk sensitive information about workers’ compensation and wage theft claims, as well as investigations into his companies’ safety records.
The union argues that DOGE’s control over federal data raises concerns about independence and could threaten the reputation of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A temporary restraining order is being sought to prevent DOGE from accessing these systems until a decision can be made on the matter.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/union-asks-judge-block-elon-musks-doge-labor-dept-systems-2025-02-05