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Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen is leading a new push to restore collective bargaining rights for federal workers as well as workplace protections, which the majority of federal employees lost due to executive orders by President Donald Trump.
Van Hollen spoke at a rally of union federal workers Wednesday in Upper Senate Park, urging them to make their voices heard on the Protect America’s Workforce Act, or PAWA, which includes U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia as one of its co-sponsors.
“Are you going to make sure that your fellow federal employees from every state in this country call up their U.S. Senators and tell them to vote for the PAWA?” Van Hollen said. “Because that’s what it’s going to require.”
Van Hollen hopes to build on the bipartisan support the legislation received in the House, which passed it last year.
Federal workers trying to recover from major job losses
Last year was a rough one for many federal workers, as hundreds of thousands of federal jobs were phased out by the Trump administration through executive orders and the Department of Government Efficiency, a team tasked with slashing government spending.
Federal unemployment figures released this month indicate that 72,000 jobs were lost last year in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.
The president’s executive order on collective bargaining placed the majority of federal workers under the category of national security, which allowed him to make the change.
Van Hollen questioned the basis for the change, calling it a “sham.”
He noted that those who work on matters involving the Chesapeake Bay for the Environmental Protection Agency don’t seem to fall under national security.
The Democratic lawmaker ended his remarks with optimism that the legislation could move forward this year.
“You’re the cavalry. So let’s get this passed,” he said to cheers.
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