Defense Workers Win Battle for Bargaining Rights
30th January 2008
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Loading ...An arduous four-year battle by U.S. Department of Defense employees turned into victory this week with the help of the Democratic majority in Congress: The employees at Defense will keep their bargaining rights and retain their civil service rights to appeal major disciplinary actions.
After the Republican-led Congress refused to block the Bush administration’s anti-worker National Security Personnel System (NSPS), which took away workers’ bargaining rights, the United Department of Defense Workers Coalition (UDWC) continued the fight to restore workers’ rights. Members of the coalition, made up of the 36 unions that represent Defense Department workers, helped get out the vote to ensure a Democratic majority in Congress and that majority restored the Defense workers’ collective bargaining rights as part of the Defense authorization bill. President Bush signed the bill Monday.