Dear Representative:
This week you will be considering H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. On behalf of the AFL-CIO, representing 15 million working people across 63 affiliate unions, I strongly urge you to oppose the Onder Amendment (Rules Print Amendment No. 19), which would strike section 1110 from this bill. Section 1110, added in committee with a strong bipartisan vote, restores the collective bargaining rights of Department of Defense employees. By stripping this language, the Onder amendment would leave Department of Defense employees unprotected.
A March 27th Executive Order entitled "Exclusion from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs" stripped two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights, including many workers at the Department of Defense. This order constitutes the single biggest act of unionbusting in American history. H.R. 3838’s Section 1110 is Congress’s first chance on the House floor to begin correcting this mass violation of workers’ rights, at least with respect to Department of Defense workers.
Veterans make up a disproportionate number of federal employees. That is especially the case at the Department of Defense, where 48.5% of all civilian employees are veterans. These workers have served their country twice in defense of all the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. But they have had rights stripped from them. The March 27th Executive Order eliminated the bargaining rights of certain bargaining units across the federal government and cited their unions for speaking out and taking legal action for their members. In other words, this order was issued in retaliation for First Amendment activities. Our civil servants and veterans deserve far better than having their constitutional rights deleted with the stroke of a pen. This episode underscores precisely why federal employees need the right to collective bargaining and why they choose union representation – to have a secure voice in ensuring fair treatment and the safe, effective, and efficient delivery of services.
We urge you to vote NO on the Onder Amendment and restore the fundamental collective bargaining rights of civil servants at the Department of Defense.
Thank you very much for your attention and service.
Sincerely,
Jody Calemine
Director, Government Affairs