In a rare feat in Washington, Maine Congressman Jared Golden on Wednesday convinced more than half of the House of Representatives to do an end-run around Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Golden, a Democrat who represents Maine's 2nd Congressional District, is the lead sponsor of a bill to restore collective bargaining rights that President Trump eliminated earlier this year for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Golden and a Republican lawmaker from Pennsylvania, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, had introduced the bill soon after Trump signed his executive order on March 27.
But Johnson, R-Louisiana, would not bring his bill up for a vote. So Golden and allies gathered the 218 signatures necessary — representing more than half of the House — to trigger a "discharge petition" to force a vote.
Ultimately, 222 of the House's 435 members supported Golden's discharge petition during a vote Wednesday night. In a floor speech, Golden called Trump's executive order "the largest act of union-busting in American history."
"The discharge petition process exists to give members of Congress some agency," Golden said. "It's a release valve to ensure good bills with broad support cannot be held up forever by leadership team. It gives us a fair shot at building a coalition to do the people's work and get an up or down vote on the floor."
The bill is expected to receive a final vote Thursday, after which it will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
The president's executive order used a national security exemption to curb collective bargaining rights for employees at more than a dozen departments, including the departments of justice, veterans affairs and homeland security as well as many agencies with the Department of Health and Human Services. About a half-dozen unions sued to try to block the change but courts have allowed the administration to move forward with
canceling agreements while cases play out.
The bill is a top priority for federal labor unions, whose leaders praised Wednesday's key procedural vote.
“AFGE will forever be grateful to Congressman Golden for his tireless efforts to restore collective bargaining rights for federal employees,” Everett B. Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement. “Time and again, he has answered the call to defend the working men and women who keep this country safe and secure, healthy and prosperous. I urge all members of Congress to support the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act offered by Reps. Golden and Fitzpatrick and enact it into law.”
Golden recently announced that he would not seek a fifth term representing Maine's 2nd District.
