Executive Order 13201: Notification of Employee Rights Concerning Payment of Union Dues or Fees
President: George W. Bush
Required covered federal contracts and subcontracts to include a workplace-notice clause describing employees’ rights concerning union membership and the use of compulsory dues or fees.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13201 still in effect? No. Revoked January 30, 2009; implementing rule rescinded.
What does Executive Order 13201 do?
The order assigned these duties: Labor Department — Issue rules, investigate complaints and enforce covered contract clauses; FAR Council and contracting agencies — Add the required clause to covered solicitations and contracts.
Before and after
Before the order
EO 12836 had revoked an earlier contractor notice order; employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act and Supreme Court precedent still existed independently.
After the order
After litigation, Labor issued a final rule at 29 CFR part 470 in 2004 and enforced the notice requirement. EO 13496 revoked EO 13201 in 2009, and Labor rescinded part 470. A different notice requirement under EO 13496 followed.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Labor Department | Issue rules, investigate complaints and enforce covered contract clauses | After the 60-day effective date |
| FAR Council and contracting agencies | Add the required clause to covered solicitations and contracts | For solicitations issued on or after the effective date |
| Covered contractors | Post the prescribed employee-rights notice and flow the clause to covered subcontracts | During covered contract performance |
What happened next
EO 13201 signed.
A federal district court enjoined implementation.
The D.C. Circuit reversed and directed judgment for the Labor Secretary in UAW-Labor Employment & Training Corp. v. Chao.
Labor issued the final implementing rule at 29 CFR part 470.
EO 13496 revoked EO 13201.
Labor rescinded the implementing regulations.
Court status
See the court documents in Sources by type.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act supported the procurement policy; the National Labor Relations Act governed the underlying union-security rights. The D.C. Circuit found a sufficient procurement nexus and rejected the pleaded pre-emption challenge. Revocation ended this order’s clause and enforcement regime.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →