Title 5 — Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73not60

§6132 Prohibition of Coercion

Title 5 › Part III— EMPLOYEES › Subpart E— Attendance and Leave › Chapter 61— HOURS OF WORK › Subchapter II— FLEXIBLE AND COMPRESSED WORK SCHEDULES › § 6132

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

No employee may threaten, scare, or pressure another worker to stop them from using certain work-schedule and overtime choices. These protections cover rights under sections 6122 through 6126 (like picking arrival or departure times, choosing whether to work credit hours, and asking for compensatory time instead of overtime pay) and the rights in 6127(b)(1) and 6127(b)(2) about joining or asking for a decision on a compressed schedule. Saying "threaten, scare, or pressure" also covers offering or promising favors (such as hiring, promotion, or pay) or threatening to take those things away.

Full Legal Text

Title 5, §6132

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)An employee may not directly or indirectly intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other employee for the purpose of interfering with—

(1)such employee’s rights under sections 6122 through 6126 of this title to elect a time of arrival or departure, to work or not to work credit hours, or to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment for overtime hours; or

(2)such employee’s right under section 6127(b)(1) of this title to vote whether or not to be included within a compressed schedule program or such employee’s right to request an agency determination under section 6127(b)(2) of this title.

(b)For the purpose of subsection (a), the term “intimidate, threaten, or coerce” includes, but is not limited to, promising to confer or conferring any benefit (such as appointment, promotion, or compensation), or effecting or threatening to effect any reprisal (such as deprivation of appointment, promotion, or compensation).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

5 U.S.C. § 6132

Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60