New York Republican Reps. Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota signed a discharge petition Monday to force a House vote on a bipartisan bill to protect federal workers’ collective bargaining rights after the measure was stalled last week by a spat between Lawler and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“The future of the labor movement belongs to the party that shows up, listens, and fights for working people,” LaLota said in a statement to POLITICO. “I’m proud to stand with America’s workers, and I will continue earning the trust that Long Islanders placed in me by delivering for them every single day.”
The moves to advance the “Protect America’s Workforce Act” came after a pause reflecting the ongoing political feud between Lawler and Jeffries, who sparred last month over Affordable Care Act subsidies in the early days of the government shutdown.
Newly installed Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was set to provide the 217th signature of the 218 needed before she was stopped by an aide to the majority leader, according to four people who were granted anonymity to discuss the matter and a video reviewed by POLITICO.
