Ohio Senators Moreno and Husted must now stand with Ohio workers by supporting the bill in the Senate. By voting to restore affected workers’ collective bargaining rights, the senators can help our neighbors do exactly what they’ve been trying to do: work their jobs under fair contracts.
These contracts help fight the waste, fraud, and abuse both senators claim to oppose. Union contracts protect federal whistleblowers who come forward with concerns about these issues. Without the protection of a union contract, workers who take action to ensure their departments are running smoothly and efficiently can lose their jobs or face other forms of retaliation.
The president’s executive order has directly impacted our friends and neighbors, especially at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and at veteran hospitals and clinics throughout the state. (More than 80% of federal workers reside outside of the D.C. beltway.) In Representative Michael Turner’s district, where Wright-Patterson is located, 23,000 federal workers living in our communities, attending our places of worship, and fighting for a decent living to support their families have found their livelihoods under attack by the Trump administration. Under other administrations, it could go without saying that contracts negotiated in good faith between workers and our government deserve to be honored like any other contract.
Beyond fairness, this is also a national security and veterans’ issue. The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service calculates that 70% of all civilian federal employees work for agencies related to national defense, with 21% employed by the Veterans Affairs Department alone. Stripping these workers’ collective bargaining rights doesn’t just hurt them; it also threatens public safety and harms our neighbors who rely on critical services that these workers provide. Without a well-supported federal workforce, veterans and others who have earned benefits will encounter additional red tape, longer waits, and lower quality services.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is challenging the executive order in court on the grounds that it is both illegal and retaliatory. An appeals court has allowed the administration to move forward with the executive order while the lawsuit works its way through the courts — so it’s up to Congress to step up and restore federal workers’ basic collective bargaining rights. Republicans and Democrats in the House have done so. The Senate should do the same, and Ohio’s Senators should be leading the charge.
The Trump administration needs to follow the rules and honor the workers’ contracts. As this bill moves over to the Senate, it imperative that we show support for our neighbors and reach out to Senators Moreno and Husted encouraging them to support the Protect America’s Workforce Act (HR 2550), basic workers’ rights, and above all, playing by the rules.
Call both of our Ohio Senators to urge them to publicly support and co-sponsor the Protect America’s Workforce Act today.
Bailey Sandin is Policy Matters Ohio’s Work & Wages Fellow.