The "Protect America's Workforce Act" nullifies an executive order that limited federal labor-management relations programs and protects existing collective bargaining agreements.
Jared Golden
Representative
ME-2
The "Protect America's Workforce Act" nullifies a 2025 executive order that limited federal labor-management relations programs. It prevents the enforcement of the executive order and prohibits the use of federal funds for its implementation. Additionally, the bill ensures the validity of existing collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and labor organizations until their original expiration dates.
Protect America's Workforce Act Nullifies March 2025 Order, Protects Existing Federal Union Contracts
The Protect America's Workforce Act takes direct aim at a recent executive action impacting federal workers. Specifically, it nullifies an Executive Order issued on March 27, 2025, concerning "Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs." Alongside this nullification, the bill ensures that existing union contracts for federal employees, known as collective bargaining agreements, that were active on March 26, 2025, remain fully in effect until their scheduled end dates.
Hitting Rewind on Recent Federal Labor Changes
Think of this bill as hitting the brakes and reversing course on that March 27th executive order. Section 2 explicitly voids the order, meaning whatever changes it made regarding which federal employees might be excluded from standard labor relations rules are effectively cancelled. It also cuts off any federal money being used to put that order into practice. In practical terms, this stops potential shifts that could have altered union representation or bargaining rights for certain groups of federal workers targeted by the now-voided order.
Locking In Existing Union Agreements
Beyond just cancelling the executive order, Section 3 provides stability for current labor deals. It guarantees that any collective bargaining agreement between a federal agency (like the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Environmental Protection Agency) and a union representing its employees, if it was valid on March 26, 2025, stays locked in. These agreements, which cover things like pay scales, work hours, safety protocols, and grievance procedures, can't be prematurely altered or dissolved; they run their course as originally negotiated. This means federal employees covered by these contracts can count on their current terms remaining stable for the duration of the agreement.