Lloyd-La Follette Act restores federal workers' right to petition Congress

Congress passed the Lloyd-La Follette Act on August 24, 1912, guaranteeing federal employees the right to communicate directly with Congress and to organize unions, overturning the gag orders imposed by Presidents Roosevelt and Taft. Senator Robert La Follette Sr. and Representative James Lloyd wrote the bill after hundreds of postal workers were fired for petitioning Congress about wages and conditions. The law established the first statutory protection for federal worker speech and remains the legal foundation for civil servants' right to contact their representatives.