---
kind: "section"
citation: "5 U.S.C. § 6132"
title: "5"
title_heading: "Government Organization and Employees"
number: "6132"
heading: "Prohibition of coercion"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/5/6132"
units:
  - "Part III — Employees"
  - "Subpart E — Attendance and Leave"
  - "Chapter 61 — Hours of Work"
  - "Subchapter II — Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules"
---

# §6132. Prohibition of coercion

- (a) An [employee](/usc/5/6121.md?p=2) may not directly or indirectly intimidate, threaten, or coerce, or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other [employee](/usc/5/6121.md?p=2) for the purpose of interfering with—
  - (1) such [employee](/usc/5/6121.md?p=2)’s rights under sections [6122](/usc/5/6122.md) through [6126](/usc/5/6126.md) of this title to elect a time of arrival or departure, to work or not to work [credit hours](/usc/5/6121.md?p=4), or to request or not to request compensatory time off in lieu of payment for overtime hours; or
  - (2) such [employee](/usc/5/6121.md?p=2)’s right under [section 6127(b)(1) of this title](/usc/5/6127.md?p=b-1) to vote whether or not to be included within a [compressed schedule](/usc/5/6121.md?p=5) program or such [employee](/usc/5/6121.md?p=2)’s right to request an [agency](/usc/5/6121.md?p=1) determination under [section 6127(b)(2) of this title](/usc/5/6127.md?p=b-2).
- (b) For the purpose of [subsection (a)](#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).

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 97–221, § 2(a)(2), July 23, 1982, 96 Stat. 232.)