The AFL-CIO has filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., seeking to block Elon Musk’s government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing the U.S. Department of Labor’s systems. The union argues that this move could expose confidential investigations into Musk’s companies—Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company—as well as competitors.
President Donald Trump appointed Musk to lead DOGE, tasked with identifying government fraud and waste. The AFL-CIO warns that allowing DOGE access to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) records could compromise worker complaints, safety investigations, and confidential business information.
Musk, 53, has not commented, and the White House claims he will recuse himself from conflicts of interest. However, the AFL-CIO says DOGE has already accessed sensitive Treasury and Office of Personnel Management data and dismantled USAID.
The lawsuit highlights a 2023 OSHA probe into SpaceX’s safety record, which resulted in fines over workplace incidents, including a worker’s death. The union also warns that DOGE’s influence over the Bureau of Labor Statistics could undermine its credibility.
A ruling from U.S. District Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, is pending.
