A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has forced a floor vote on legislation to reverse former President Donald Trump’s sweeping removal of collective bargaining rights for federal employees. The breakthrough came after a discharge petition reached 218 signatures, allowing members to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and advance the Protect America’s Workforce Act despite months of procedural delay.
The legislation, introduced in April by Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, targets Trump’s March 27 executive order “ending collective bargaining rights for roughly 1 million unionized federal employees across several agencies.” The measure had stalled, even as it secured enough cosponsors to indicate it would “easily pass a floor vote.”
Momentum shifted after two New York Republicans, Reps. Nick LaLota and Mike Lawler, added their names to the petition. Their signatures came after earlier Republican support from Reps. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska. The petition succeeded shortly after the end of “the longest government shutdown in US history, which left some federal workers furloughed and others working without pay,” a moment that underscored the vulnerability of workers stripped of bargaining protections.
Lawler framed his support as consistent with both worker rights and effective governance. “Every American deserves the right to have a voice in the workplace, including those who serve their country every single day. Supporting workers and ensuring good government are not opposing ideas,” he said. “They go hand in hand. Restoring collective bargaining rights strengthens our federal workforce and helps deliver more effective, accountable service to the American people.”
Golden argued the public never endorsed Trump’s decision to erase long standing federal labor rights. “America never voted to eliminate workers’ union rights, and the strong bipartisan support for my bill shows that Congress will not stand idly by while President Trump nullifies federal workers’ collective bargaining agreements and rolls back generations of labor law,” he said. He thanked the Republican signatories, adding, “I’m grateful to Reps. LaLota and Lawler for bringing this discharge petition over the finish line, and I’m calling on Speaker Mike Johnson to schedule a clean, up-or-down vote on this bill.”
Labor leaders describe Trump’s executive order as historically far reaching and intentionally punitive. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL CIO, said, “The labor movement fought back against the largest act of union-busting in American history by doing what we do best: organizing.” She credited public pressure across political lines for pushing the petition to success. “Working people built a bipartisan coalition to restore union rights to federal workers in the face of unprecedented attacks on our freedoms. We commend every Democrat and Republican who signed the discharge petition to bring the Protect America’s Workforce Act to a vote, but the fight isn’t over.”
Shuler said Speaker Johnson can no longer justify delaying action. “Speaker Johnson has run out of excuses to delay a vote on this legislation to restore federal workers’ rights,” she said. “It’s time to bring the Protect America’s Workforce Act to a vote and restore federal workers’ right to collectively bargain and have a voice on the job.”
For unions representing federal employees, the issue reaches beyond wages, affecting the integrity of the civil service itself. Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said, “An independent, apolitical civil service is one of the bedrocks of American democracy.” He praised the bipartisan petition as a defense of that principle. “Today, lawmakers stood up together to defend that principle and to affirm that federal workers must retain their right to collective bargaining. This is what leadership looks like.”
Kelley also emphasized the nonpartisan nature of federal work. “Federal workers do their jobs every day without regard to politics. Today’s action honors that commitment,” he said. He committed to continuing the fight for full restoration of rights, including through the National Defense Authorization Act. “AFGE will continue fighting until these essential rights are fully restored, including by fighting to retain Section 1110 of the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act,” he said.
Cynthia Phinney, president of the Maine AFL CIO, called the Trump order both harmful and unlawful. “It is unconscionable that the Trump administration has illegally stripped thousands of federal employees of their right to bargain for fair wages and safe working conditions,” she said. She described the order as “a lawless attack on federal public servants providing crucial services to our nation, from servicing Navy submarines and caring for our veterans to providing Social Security benefits to older Mainers, surviving families and people with disabilities.” Phinney welcomed the petition’s success, saying, “We are thrilled that Congressman Jared Golden has been able to collect enough signatures to force a vote on this critical workers’ rights legislation. We are incredibly grateful for his leadership on this issue and thank him for continuing to fight for Maine workers and their families.”
Union support spans nearly every major federal employee sector. In addition to the AFL CIO and AFGE, the bill is backed by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, the National Federation of Federal Employees, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, the National Treasury Employees Union, Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the Service Employees International Union, and the United Steelworkers. Their unified stance reflects the scale of Trump’s rollback and the breadth of workers affected across the government.
The procedural victory is also notable given the difficulty of discharge petitions, which rarely succeed. The petition crossed its threshold shortly after another bipartisan petition pushed a vote on releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, signaling a growing willingness among members to override leadership when they believe action is being obstructed.
With 218 signatures secured, the bill now moves to the House floor. The legislation already has “bipartisan support from 222 members of Congress, including seven Republicans.” Its prospects for passage appear strong if brought to a vote without additional conditions.
For federal workers and their unions, the upcoming vote is a pivotal test of whether Congress will reverse what labor leaders describe as an unprecedented rollback. Kelley captured the stakes plainly. “This bill has been called labor’s top priority in Congress and for good reason – it seeks to undo the largest loss of collective bargaining rights in U.S. history,” he said. “The right to speak out in the workplace and have concerns fairly addressed is a human right and a democratic cornerstone. We urge the House to pass the Golden Fitzpatrick bill without delay.”
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