House Votes to Restore Collective Bargaining Rights for Nearly One Million Federal Workers

By Blessing Nweke

The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bipartisan measure to reinstate collective bargaining rights for federal workers, marking a major pushback against a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump that stripped union protections from nearly one million federal employees. The bill passed in a 231-195 vote, with 20 Republicans joining Democrats in a rare show of cross-party alignment on labor rights.

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, a Democrat, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a Republican, now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain. Golden praised the vote as “solidarity in action,” while Fitzpatrick emphasized that the bill restores “the right of public servants to be heard, respected, and represented in their workplace.”

Trump’s original order, signed in March under authority granted by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, terminated collective bargaining at multiple federal agencies tied to national security, including the Departments of State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Justice, and parts of Homeland Security. The White House argued at the time that certain unions had “declared war” on the president’s agenda and that limiting their influence was necessary to safeguard national interests.

Labor leaders condemned the order as a sweeping assault on worker rights. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler hailed the House action as a reversal of “the single largest act of union-busting in American history,” urging senators from both parties to advance the bill. She noted that the legislation already has bipartisan support in the upper chamber.

The administration defended Trump’s stance on unions, saying obstruction by certain labor organizations had hindered government efficiency. In August, Trump expanded restrictions further by cutting bargaining rights for workers in several additional agencies, including the National Weather Service, the Patent and Trademark Office, NASA, and units within the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Neither the White House nor Senate Majority Leader John Thune commented Thursday on whether the Senate plans to take up the measure.