1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am writing as a constituent to urgently request your support for restoring full collective bargaining and union rights for Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). For decades, collective bargaining has strengthened the federal workforce by improving morale, promoting safety, increasing efficiency, and protecting whistleblowers—without compromising national security. The restriction of these rights for DoD employees has weakened worker protections, reduced transparency, and damaged trust between employees and management, all while failing to improve national security or operational readiness. Union rights provide employees with a lawful, structured avenue to raise concerns about unsafe conditions, waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. When these protections are stripped away, workers are silenced, problems go unreported, and accountability suffers. This ultimately harms not only employees but also taxpayers and national defense operations. DoD civilian workers play a critical role in maintaining military readiness, cybersecurity, logistics, engineering, healthcare, and support services. They deserve the same workplace protections afforded to other federal employees. Restoring these rights is not a partisan issue—it is a matter of fairness, workforce stability, and national integrity. I respectfully urge you to support and advocate for language in the NDAA that fully restores collective bargaining and union rights for Department of Defense civilian employees. Our national security is strongest when the dedicated civilians who support it are treated with dignity, protected by the law, and empowered to speak up without fear of retaliation. Thank you for your time and for your service to our district and our nation. I would appreciate knowing your position on this important issue.