Lawmakers Urge Education to Rescind Unilaterally-Imposed Union Contract

A group of Democratic senators last week urged Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to rescind a unilaterally implemented collective bargaining agreement with the nation’s largest federal employee union and return to the negotiating table, in light of a watchdog finding that the department’s actions broke federal labor laws. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a letter that the department’s actions last spring to implement a “management edict” have weakened its ability to recruit and retain employees and have made it harder for officials to fulfill the agency's mission. “In attacking employees’ rights, the edict undermines your department’s mission to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access,” the senators wrote.