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Tokuda leads effort to protect labor rights of Department of Defense educators

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Rep. Tokuda. File PC: Rep. Tokuda / YouTube

US Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) led 44 bipartisan members of Congress in urging the Secretary of Defense to protect the collective bargaining rights of educators and educational support staff at the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The letter requests that the Secretary of Defense respond by no later than Thursday, April 10, 2025. 

On March 27, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order removing collective bargaining rights for federal employees while also authorizing the Secretary of Defense to exempt Department of Defense components from the impacts of the Executive Order.

DoDEA educators and other employees operate 161 accredited schools across 11 foreign countries, seven states, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. According to a news release issued by Tokuday, these schools are consistently ranked the best in the country in both reading and mathematics under the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and they ensure that military service members and their families can focus on defending the nation while their children receive the best available public education. 

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“Secretary Hegseth must ensure that this Executive Order does not unfairly impact DoDEA educators and staff whose sole responsibility is providing the best available education for children in military families across the world,” said Tokuda. “These employees do not have clearances, they do not conduct military or national security missions, and they are not on the frontlines of conflicts. But to a soldier actually doing this work on behalf of our country, our DoDEA educators have an even more important mission—to care for their children and support their families while they serve to ensure America’s war fighting and readiness posture,” she said.

“Tokuda “Protecting collective bargaining rights for these dedicated public servants ensures that we can continue to provide a high-quality education to our military families. They deserve nothing less,” said Tokuda. 

“Department of Defense Education Activity schools play a critical role in serving children of our service members and Department of Defense civilians,” said Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association. “When you take away collective bargaining, you take away workers’ voices… Together, we must stand up for the servicemembers of our country and for the educators who have dedicated their lives to helping students from military-connected families.” 

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A copy of the letter can be viewed here

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