Congress must immediately restore the union rights of federal employees
We celebrate Labor Day this year under the shadow of one of the greatest ongoing attacks on union rights in this nation’s history.
In March, President Trump signed an executive order intended to strip nearly 1 million federal employees of their union rights at multiple agencies.
Over the last month, the Trump administration has started to implement the president’s union-busting executive order by unilaterally and unlawfully terminating union contracts at the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Union rights provide federal employees a way to improve their workplaces and report wrongdoing. The loss of union rights, therefore, not only impacts federal employees, but also the American people, who depend on the federal government and the services it provides.
That is why, on this Labor Day, we are calling on Congress to immediately pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act.
The Protect America’s Workforce Act is bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) and cosponsored by 222 members of Congress.
It restores the collective bargaining rights of the union federal employees impacted by President Trump’s attempted union-busting. It has the majority support needed to pass if it came to the House floor for a vote today.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle back the Protect America’s Workforce Act because they know that employees with a voice in their workplace have higher morale and are able to better serve the American people.
In fact, Republicans supporting the bill wrote to President Trump emphasizing that collective bargaining in the federal government plays a positive role by providing a structured way for employees and management to communicate and address workplace concerns.
Specifically, through collective bargaining, federal employees are able to offer expertise and experience that improves processes, reduces waste and generates efficiencies.
Officers at the Transportation Security Administration have been able to negotiate for policies that provide for better work-life balance and expanded benefits that have helped performance and retention at the agency.
Additionally, collective bargaining at the Department of Veterans Affairs led to an improved promotion process, which is important to ensuring the agency can retain talented staff.
At the Social Security Administration, union members secured more time for employees to attend and complete training that helps them perform their responsibilities more effectively.
Union rights also provide federal employees with a voice and protections that allows them to push back against politically motivated requests to compromise professional standards or ignore facts without putting their jobs at risk.
For example, EPA staff secured scientific integrity provisions and whistleblower protections in their union contract to ensure federal scientists cannot be pressured to alter climate data to align with political agendas. FEMA employees, who support communities that have suffered from natural disasters, negotiated for the right to refuse unlawful orders.
If federal employees’ union rights are not restored, we can expect to see a politicized civil service that puts politicians and special interests ahead of the American people. This means that the effectiveness of government services will suffer, which will result in worse outcomes for everyday Americans.
Federal employees first gained collective bargaining rights over a half-century ago and these rights were expanded over time as Republicans and Democrats realized the utility of having a structured process for federal workers to address workplace issues without disrupting government operations.
Historically, presidents from both parties have upheld federal employees’ union rights. President Trump’s efforts to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of federal employees are radical and wrong.
The AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees, where I am president, and our allies are determined to see the union rights of these federal employees restored. As Congress comes back from recess, they must prioritize passing the Protect America’s Workforce Act.
Federal employees go to work every day in service of this nation and the American people. Now Congress needs to go to work and do their job to ensure federal employees have the rights and protections they deserve.
Jennifer Dorning is president of the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO.