Restore Collective Bargaining for Federal Workers
WASHINGTON, DC — The following statement was issued today by John L. Downey, General President of the International Union of Operating Engineers, in support of the discharge petition and upcoming floor vote on the Protect America’s Workforce Act:
“President Trump’s ill-conceived executive order to strip away the rights of federal workers to collectively bargain was the single biggest act of union-busting in American history. The Protect America’s Workforce Act is commonsense, bipartisan legislation to restore federal workers’ freedom to join and form unions, and rein in this illegal power grab.
Union-busting is wholly unacceptable—whether it’s at the work site or in the federal government. All American workers should be able to come together to negotiate for better working conditions, improved safety on the job, family sustaining wages, and a secure retirement.
It should not have taken a discharge petition to bring this to the House floor for a vote. We applaud the lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who signed on to reach the required 218 signatures.
Now, we urge every representative—Republican and Democrat—who says they support working people to vote for the Protect America’s Workforce Act (H.R. 2550) and restore the rights of those who ensure we receive Social Security checks, care for our veterans, inspect our food, and protect our health and safety on the job. Politicians can’t be pro-worker while stripping workers’ rights. It’s simply hypocritical.”
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The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) represents over 410,000 working people across the United States and Canada. Members of the IUOE are primarily operating engineers, who work as heavy equipment and crane operators, pipeliners, mechanics, and surveyors in the construction industry, and stationary engineers, who work in operations and maintenance in building and industrial complexes, as well as a number of job classifications in the petrochemical industry.
