Lisa Murkowski joins bipartisan call urging Trump in letter to reinstate collective bargaining rights for federal workers

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined three other senators in a bipartisan appeal to President Donald Trump, urging him in a letter to reverse an executive order that eliminates collective bargaining rights for over one million federal employees.

The joint letter, co-signed by Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), expresses concern over the administration’s March 27 executive order titled “Exclusions from Federal Labor Management Relations Programs.” The order invokes presidential authority under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS) to exclude certain agencies or subdivisions from collective bargaining provisions.

The senators acknowledged that the FSLMRS permits exclusions in limited cases where an agency’s primary function involves national security operations and when the statute’s application would be inconsistent with national security requirements. However, they argue that the order’s sweeping scope disrupts agency operations and undermines the effectiveness of the federal workforce.

“The presence of collective bargaining rights has created a more stable and productive workforce and has allowed the federal government to better meet the needs of our constituents,” the senators wrote in the letter addressed to President Trump. “Further, sudden changes to labor-management relations are disruptive to the work of the federal workforce and will result in the loss of valuable federal workers with knowledge and skills critical to completing their respective agency’s missions.”

The lawmakers also pointed out that many national security-related agencies, including the Department of Defense, have successfully maintained collective bargaining arrangements without compromising their missions. Civilian employees within such departments have engaged in organized labor since 1978.

“We share your goal of streamlining federal operations and enhancing government efficiency,” the letter continued. “But believe that the March 27th EO impedes, rather than advances, efforts to make the federal government more efficient.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski’s involvement in the appeal underscores her continued support for maintaining labor protections for federal employees. As one of only two Republicans on the letter, her participation highlights a bipartisan pushback against the order.

The full text of the letter is available here.