Nearly two dozen House Republicans broke from President Trump Thursday as they voted with Democrats to nullify an executive order from Mr. Trump that stripped collective bargaining rights from unionized federal workers.
The bill passed 231 to 195, with 20 Republicans voting with Democrats to restore collective bargaining.
The order, signed in March and another in August, used authority granted by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 to end the agreements, citing national security concerns. Opponents said it was an illegal attempt at “union busting” and could lead to unsafe working conditions and silencing workers.
The Protect America’s Workforce Act would restore collective bargaining rights to nearly one million workers. It now heads to the Senate, where it is unlikely to advance.
Rep. Jared Golden, Maine Democrat, led the bill and forced a vote on it by using a discharge petition, which got enough support last month with its 218th and final signature.
“President Trump said ending collective bargaining was about protecting our national defense. But in my district, many affected workers build our warships and care for our veterans,” Mr. Golden said in a statement. “These workers make our country safer and stronger every day. America did not vote to silence these workers, but this bill gives all of us a chance to restore their voices.”
The affected agencies included departments of Defense, State, Veterans Affairs, Justice and Energy, and some workers at the departments of Homeland Security, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Interior and Agriculture.
Others who had their agreements ended included the union representing Hydropower Facilities in the Bureau of Reclamation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service and National Weather Service.
“Protecting America’s national security is a core constitutional duty, and President Trump refuses to let union obstruction interfere with his efforts to protect Americans and our national interests,” the order said in March.
Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican, and chair of the House Oversight Committee, slammed the legislation Thursday, calling it a “pro-union boss bill that would prevent President Donald Trump from carrying out his agenda to bring federal workers back to the office, reform the bureaucracy, and restore accountability across the federal workforce.”
Five Republicans signed the petition last month that got it to the floor: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Robert Bresnahan of Pennsylvania; Don Bacon of Nebraska; and Nick LaLota and Michael Lawler of New York.
Four other Republicans co-sponsored the bill to repeal the executive order but did not sign the discharge petition.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen Republicans voted with Democrats to advance the bill to the House floor.
Mr. Lawler said on the floor Thursday ahead of the vote that “every American deserves a voice in the workplace, and that includes the people who keep our government running and open.
“Ensuring collective bargaining rights strengthens our federal workforce and helps deliver more effective, accountable service to the American people,” he said.
