Labor Movement Delivers Bipartisan Victory as House Passes Bill to Restore Federal Workers’ Union Rights
A bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives voted to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act (H.R. 2550) yesterday, a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights to 1 million federal workers by reversing President Trump’s March executive order. Following that order, the Trump administration hasescalateditsattacks, stripping away even more collective bargaining rights by unilaterally canceling union contracts for 700,000 federal workers.
With nearly 70% of Americans supporting unions, politicians face a clear mandate to protect workers’ rights and the freedom to have a voice on the job. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), came to the floor for a vote by a rare discharge petition and passed 231-195 with support from Republicans and Democrats. It is the first time the House of Representatives has voted to overturn a Trump executive order during his second term.
“President Trump betrayed workers when he tried to rip away our collective bargaining rights. In these increasingly polarized times, working people delivered a rare bipartisan majority to stop the administration’s unprecedented attacks on our freedoms,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “We commend the Republicans and Democrats who stood with workers and voted to reverse the single largest act of union-busting in American history. Americans trust unions more than either political party. As we turn to the Senate—where the bill already has bipartisan support—working people are calling on the politicians we elected to stand with us, even if it means standing up to the union-busting boss in the White House.”
A bipartisan companion bill to restore federal workers’ rights has already been introduced in the Senate with 48 original co-sponsors, and more than 15 active lawsuits are challenging the administration’s executive order in the courts as the labor movement fights to rein in this illegal power grab.