Federal agencies get power to decertify unions over unpaid fees

What it does

This bill requires federal agencies to charge labor unions quarterly fees for the time union representatives spend on union business while on the government payroll and for agency resources (office space, equipment, etc.) provided to unions. Unions must pay these fees within 60 days or face escalating penalties: loss of union time and resources after 90 days, loss of payroll deductions after 180 days, and decertification as the exclusive bargaining representative after 365 days. The bill also requires union representatives to track their union time in federal time-tracking systems or face disciplinary action.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is not fee collection per se—it is a pathway to decertification of unions through financial penalties and the suspension of core labor-law protections. The fee structure is the trigger; decertification is the outcome.

What the text implies

• The bill suspends normal labor-law remedies (grievance procedures, binding arbitration, unfair labor practice complaints) during the enforcement period, effectively removing workers' recourse to challenge agency fee calculations or penalties.
• Decertification after 365 days of non-payment is automatic and does not require a new union election or worker vote—it bypasses the democratic process for union representation.
• The 'hourly rate of pay' definition includes the full cost of employment (benefits, payroll taxes, paid leave accruals), inflating the fee base and making union time prohibitively expensive.
• Union representatives who fail to record union time face adverse action (disciplinary measures) that cannot be grieved or arbitrated, creating a chilling effect on union organizing and representation.
• Agencies are explicitly shielded from grievance procedures and unfair labor practice complaints when enforcing penalties, removing the primary mechanism workers use to challenge agency overreach.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

This bill weakens the bargaining power and operational capacity of federal employee unions by imposing significant financial burdens and creating a decertification mechanism triggered by fee non-payment rather than democratic choice. The practical effect is to reduce workers' ability to organize, negotiate collectively, and file grievances—core labor protections—while shielding agencies from normal labor-law remedies (grievance procedures, arbitration, unfair labor practice complaints) during en

Who stands to gain

• federal agencies (reduced union organizing capacity and operational costs)
• management interests opposed to collective bargaining

Named in the bill

federal agencies, labor organizations, General Services Administration, Federal Labor Relations Authority, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Inspector General offices

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Republicans.

• Feb 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform”
• Mar 25, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Mar 25, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 21”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 8 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $2,230,730 in lobbying spend. A filing names 58 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Scott Perry, the sponsor, reported $668,994 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• American Fed of Government Employees AFL-CIO — $840,426 on 2 filings
• National Treasury Employees Union — $690,000 on 2 filings
• International Association of Fire Fighters — $380,304 on 2 filings
• National Right to Work Committee — $240,000 on 1 filing
• American Foreign Service Association — $80,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.