Protect America's Workforce Act
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Would nullify the March 27, 2025, Executive Order that removed specified executive agencies from the federal statute governing collective bargaining rights for federal employees, and would preserve collective bargaining agreements already in place as of the day before that order.
The bill directly reverses a presidential action affecting labor relations for potentially hundreds of thousands of federal workers, making it part of the broader conflict between Congress and the executive branch over federal employee union rights.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would declare the Executive Order titled "Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs" — issued March 27, 2025 — to have no force or effect. It would also prohibit any federal funds from being obligated or spent to carry out that order. The order had excluded certain executive agencies and subdivisions from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, which is the law that authorizes federal employees to participate in collective bargaining and protects those rights.
Separately, the bill would guarantee that any collective bargaining agreement in effect as of March 26, 2025 — between an executive branch agency and a union that is the exclusive representative of federal employees — remains fully enforceable through the agreement's stated end date. It does not itself amend the underlying labor statute or create new bargaining rights beyond restoring the pre-order status quo.
Key provisions
- 1Would nullify the Executive Order 'Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs' issued March 27, 2025, giving it no force or effect.
- 2Would prohibit any federal funds from being obligated or expended to carry out the nullified Executive Order.
- 3Would require collective bargaining agreements in effect as of March 26, 2025, between executive branch agencies and exclusive union representatives to remain fully enforceable through their stated terms.
Who would be affected
Federal employees in executive branch agencies that were excluded from collective bargaining protections by the March 27, 2025 Executive Order, and the labor organizations that serve as their exclusive bargaining representatives. Agency human-resources offices and federal labor-relations officials would also be directly affected, as the bill would bar them from implementing the order.
Why it matters
Federal workers who lost collective bargaining coverage under the Executive Order would have their union rights restored, and existing contracts would be shielded from being voided before their natural expiration. Without this bill, agencies excluded by the order could bypass negotiated agreements on pay, working conditions, and grievance procedures for the duration of the exclusion.
What would change
How implementation would work
The bill is largely self-executing: it declares the Executive Order void and forbids any federal agency from spending money to implement it. No rulemaking is required. The collective bargaining agreement provision would be enforced through the existing Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute framework, including the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which adjudicates disputes over whether agencies are complying with bargaining obligations. No phase-in period or agency reporting requirement is specified.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate.
Official CRS summary
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This bill nullifies the Executive Order titled Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs (issued on March 27, 2025), which excludes specified executive agencies and subdivisions from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute. The statute authorizes federal employees' participation in collective bargaining and enforces collective bargaining rights.
The bill also specifies that a covered collective bargaining agreement in place as of March 26, 2025, shall have full force and effect through the stated term of the agreement.
Legislative subjects
Employment discrimination and employee rights; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Labor and Employment; Labor-management relations; Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents