The House recently dropped from the annual defense spending bill a provision that would have restored bargaining for hundreds of thousands of defense civilians. Image: DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffUpdated: The House has passed a bill that would override President Trump’s executive orders to disavow existing labor-management contracts and end union representation rights for the majority of federal employees.
A discharge petition was filed recently for the Protect America’s Workforce Act, HR-2550, forcing a straight up or down vote; the measure passed Thursday 231–195.
Ultimate passage is murky, however. A Senate companion bill, S-2837 faces the 60‑vote threshold to overcome a filibuster in the evenly divided chamber and a likely presidential veto.
Meanwhile, the House quietly dropped from the annual defense spending bill a provision that would have restored bargaining for hundreds of thousands of defense civilians – and was viewed as a possible precedent for wider government-wide efforts.
“The Defense Department’s large civilian workforce, which includes some 315,000 veterans, plays an indispensable role in securing our cyber networks, protecting our energy infrastructure, and supporting our border security. Denying these workers a voice in the workplace does not enhance national security – it potentially jeopardizes it by eroding morale, diminishing retention, and weakening accountability,” House Republicans wrote in a letter to House and Senate negotiators recently.
Supporters of the standalone House bill, introduced in April by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R‑Pa., and Jared Golden, D‑Maine, argue that bargaining rights are essential to protect due process, whistleblowers, and workplace safety concerns for federal employees. The White House says the order is necessary to streamline agency operations and limit costs tied to official time and contract administration.
Federal agencies continue to carry out the order and federal unions continue to contest it in court. Lawsuits are pending against the orders, arguing that they exceed a president’s authority to exclude representation rights by citing national security and relate grounds, with at least one ruling in favor of the unions.
The most recently filed suit asserts that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union—which has units in the Interior and Energy departments—is exempt because its bargaining rights are guaranteed by a separate law.
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