Golden’s bill to restore federal workers’ union rights clears threshold to force House action
Congressman calls on Speaker Johnson to schedule a clean floor vote after securing 218th signature on discharge petition
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill by Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) to repeal an executive order that stripped federal workers’ union rights is on track for a vote in the House after months of delay by Speaker Mike Johnson.
The Protect America’s Workforce Act of 2025, which has enough cosponsors to indicate it would easily pass a floor vote, has languished since Golden introduced it with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) in April. In June, Golden launched a discharge petition for the bill, which allows a majority of the House to force a vote on a piece of legislation if a majority of Congress signs it.
Today, GOP Congressmen Nick LaLota (NY-01) and Mike Lawler (NY-17) signed the petition, bringing the total number of signatures to 218 — the number required to force House action.
“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,” Golden said. “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.”
The bill would nullify President Trump’s March 27th Executive Order ending collective bargaining rights for roughly 1 million unionized federal employees across several agencies. Since Golden introduced the bipartisan bill in April, it has garnered bipartisan support from 222 members of Congress, including seven Republicans. Five of those Republicans — Reps. Fitzpatrick, LaLota, Lawler, Don Bacon (NE-02) and Robert Bresnahan (PA-08) — crossed the aisle to join House Democrats in signing the discharge petition.
“The labor movement fought back against the largest act of union busting in American history by doing what we do best: organizing. 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,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “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.”
"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. The President's executive order is 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,” said Cynthia Phinney, President of the Maine AFL-CIO. “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.”
“AFGE expresses its profound thanks to Rep. Golden for his herculean efforts to bring the Protect America’s Workforce Act to the floor for a vote,” said Dr. Everett B. Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 federal employees. “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. 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.”
In addition to the AFL-CIO and AFGE, the bill has support from a wide range of unions representing federal employees, including: the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the United Steelworkers (USW).
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