Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill guarantees state and local government workers the right to organize, join unions, and bargain collectively over pay, hours, and working conditions.
• A federal agency, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, must review every state's laws within 180 days to see if they meet new minimum bargaining standards.
• States whose laws fall short would become subject to federal enforcement of bargaining rights within about two years, or after their next legislative session.
• Emergency responders and law enforcement officers covered by the federal system would be barred from strikes or lockouts that could disrupt public safety services.
• Workers would be allowed to have union dues automatically deducted from their paychecks if they choose to authorize it.
• Very small local governments, those with fewer than 5,000 residents or fewer than 25 employees, can be exempted from the new rules if their state requests it.