After taking office last year, President Trump stripped one million federal workers of their collective bargaining rights for “national security.” This executive order was an unprecedented attack on workers’ rights that resulted in the largest single rollback of federal labor rights in American history.
Now, Rep. Donald Norcross of N.J. is leading the charge to reverse the move for Defense Department workers, including many IBEW members.
Zoom in: On June 4, a bipartisan majority of the House Armed Services Committee supported Norcross’s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to protect collective bargaining protections for Department of Defense employees. The NDAA is a broad law that Congress passes every year to outline the Defense Department’s budget and policies.
The Norcross amendment would prohibit the Defense Department from spending any funds to enact Trump’s executive order, a major rebuke of the president’s attacks on unions.
Norcross, a member of Folsom, N.J. Local 351, is the only IBEW member who holds federal office. He said: “For 60 years, no administration has shown that collective bargaining prevents the Defense Department from carrying out its mission. To the contrary, labor-management partnerships have strengthened recruitment, retention, productivity, safety, and workforce stability.”
Sixteen Republicans agreed: “Denying these workers a voice in the workplace does not enhance national security – it potentially jeopardizes it by eroding morale, diminishing retention, and weakening accountability.”
Why it matters: IBEW members work on naval shipyards, military outposts, Army Corps of Engineers facilities, and engineering and supply commands. “IBEW DOD members have classifications ranging from electricians to maintenance personnel,” said Director of Government Employees Danielle Eckert. “They all support military readiness and critical infrastructure.”
The NDAA has been voted out of committee in both the House and the Senate and should be considered by each chamber in the coming weeks.
“This amendment is an important step towards restoring collective bargaining rights for federal employees and making them whole,” said IBEW Legislative Director Erica Fein. “It’s an uphill battle, but we are hopeful the provision will survive in this year’s process.”