In a final-days attack on workers’ rights, President George W. Bush in December issued an executive order that denies collective bargaining rights to about 8,600 federal employees who work in national security, law enforcement and intelligence.

Nearly 1,000 of the workers are currently represented by a union, and some have been for more than 30 years.

In the executive order, Bush said it would be inconsistent with “national security requirements” to allow employees to engage in collective bargaining over the conditions of their employment. This is the same rationale the White House used in 2003 to deny bargaining rights to Transportation Security Agency workers.

Among those affected by the latest order are certain workers in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Aviation Administration.