Brian Petruska cant help but sound alarmed by the possibility of another Donald Trump presidency. Hes still witnessing the legal fallout from Trumps first term.

Were looking at going back to pre-1930s labor law in this country, Petruska, a lawyer for the Laborers International Union of North America, told HuffPost. Im not exaggerating. Thats literally whats happening.

Petruska was referring to efforts by employers including Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a surrogate for Trump amid his 2024 White House bid to wreck the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency established in 1935 that enforces collective bargaining rights.

Corporations like Musks SpaceX are challenging the constitutionality of the NLRBs structure to defend themselves against charges of unfair labor practices. Some Trump-appointed judges have already shown theyre receptive to the companies argument , and the question could end up before the Supreme Court, where a conservative supermajority shaped by Trump would decide the boards fate.

The way Petruska sees it, another four years under Trump would only bring more attacks on workers rights, and more judges willing to rule in corporations favor.

The changes not to engage in hyperbole are potentially catastrophic, he said. Almost all worker protections you can think of are threatened. Theyre on the table and theyre in danger.

Trump has indicated that his election this year would lead to an immigration crackdown ; a rollback of environmental protections ; pardons for rioters convicted over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection; and legal retribution for his political opponents , among other things. He hasnt outlined his plan for workers rights, but its not hard to imagine what he would do with the NLRB, an independent agency run by presidential appointees.

The labor board has been a hotbed for progressive policy reforms under President Joe Biden. Its top prosecutor, General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, is often named in the same breath as Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan as one of Bidens most consequential appointments. Abruzzos policies have helped boost unionism and turned her into a star on the left putting a bulls-eye on her back for any incoming Republican administration.