Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Over the years, Republicans and wealthy corporate interests have chipped away at labor rights, stripping workers of their power and worsening economic inequality in the process. Since March…
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Over the years, Republicans and wealthy corporate interests have chipped away at labor rights, stripping workers of their power and worsening economic inequality in the process.
Since March 2020, as the pandemic has ravaged our communities, billionaires' wealth has grown by $1.3 trillion. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still unemployed, and working families are struggling to pay for food, rent, medical bills, and other basic necessities.
It is time to put an end to antiunion activities. They are illegal power grabs by antilabor special interests that put profits over the needs of working people.
On our path to economic recovery, unions will offer us a way to build back our middle class stronger than ever before. Let's pass this bill to give more power to American workers, reduce economic inequality, and support working families.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the letter from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021.
The Leadership Conference
on Civil and Human Rights,
Washington, DC, March 8, 2021.
Vote Yes on H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize
Act of 2021.
Dear Representative, On behalf of The Leadership Conference
on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse
membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote
and protect the civil and human rights of all person in the
United States, we urge you to vote YES on H.R. 842, the
Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021.
Protecting the right to collectively bargain is a top
priority for the civil and human rights community, and The
Leadership Conference will include your vote on H.R. 842 in
our Voting Record for the 117th Congress.
Economic security is inextricably linked to civil and human
rights, and enabling working people to exercise the right to
form unions and engage in meaningful collective bargaining is
one of the most effective, efficient, and comprehensive ways
to promote economic security for individuals and their
families. Unions allow working people to have a stronger
voice to advocate for fair wages, safer working conditions,
and better workplace standards. A working person covered by a
union contract earns, on average, 11.2 percent more in wages
than a nonunionized worker in the same sector with similar
education and experience, and the gains are even more
pronounced for workers of color. Black workers, for example,
earn 14 percent more than their non-union counterparts, and
Latino workers earn 20 percent more. Unions also help close
race and gender wage gaps, and unionized workers enjoy safer
workplaces, stronger health care benefits, more predictable
work schedules, greater access to paid sick days, and better
retirement benefits.
The benefits of unions have become even more pronounced
during the COVID crisis. Too many essential workers during
this pandemic have lacked basic protections on the job,
leading to thousands of working people becoming infected with
the coronavirus, some dying as a result. Many sites of
coronavirus outbreaks during the pandemic were at workplaces
that offered low-pay and limited, if any, benefits to
workforces with large concentrations of people of color,
women, and immigrants--communities, who because of decades of
systemic discrimination, have fewer resources to withstand a
health emergency. Working people with a union, however, were
better able to negotiate enhanced health and safety measures,
premium pay, and paid sick leave during this crisis. Research
also shows that unionized workers have felt less fearful
speaking out about health and safety hazards on the job.
Despite the right to form unions and collectively bargain,
attacks on unions have led to a decline in the share of
working people covered by collective bargaining agreements
over the past 40 years, a trend that has mirrored the rise in
income inequality in America. It is clear, however, that
working people want to join unions. There is a 400 percent
gap between the percentage of working people who say they
want a union--48 percent--and the percentage of unionized
workers, around 12 percent. Workers want unions because they
have seen how having a collective voice allows them to win
better pay and benefits, stronger health and safety
protections, and more fairness on the job. The PRO Act would
streamline the process for forming a union, ensure that new
unions are able to negotiate a first collective bargaining
agreement, and hold employers accountable when they violate
workers' rights.
Though the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was meant to
encourage collective bargaining, in the 80 years since its
passage, nearly every amendment to the law has made it harder
for working people to form unions. This allows employers to
take advantage of weaknesses in the law to undermine the
rights of working people, including firing pro-union workers,
holding mandatory meetings to bash unions, and refusing to
bargain a first contract after a union is formed. These
hostile behaviors, which occur at the expense of the
employee, are often without consequence for the employer. The
PRO Act seeks to remedy this imbalance by bolstering workers'
rights and creating accountability for employers that engage
in anti-union behavior.
The PRO Act would reform existing labor laws and protect
the right to join a union by:
Imposing stronger remedies when employers interfere with
workers' rights. The PRO
Act would institute civil penalties for violations of the
NLRA and would also require the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB) to go to court for an injunction to immediately
reinstate terminated workers if the NLRB believes an employer
has illegally retaliated against workers for union activity.
The PRO Act would also give workers the right to go to court
on their own to seek relief, bringing labor law in line with
other workplace laws that allow for a private right of
action.
Strengthening workers' right to join a union and
collectively bargain over working conditions. The PRO Act
would prohibit employers from holding mandatory anti-union
meetings and engaging in other coercive anti-union tactics.
The law would establish a process for reaching a first
agreement when workers organize, employing mediation, and
then, if necessary, binding arbitration. The PRO Act would
also allow employers and unions to agree upon a ``fair
share'' clause requiring all workers who are covered by the
collective bargaining agreement to contribute a fair share
fee towards the cost of bargaining and administering the
agreement, even in so-called ``right-to-work'' states. The
PRO Act will also help level the playing field for workers by
repealing the prohibition on secondary boycotts and
prohibiting employers from firing workers during lawful
strikes.
Unrigging the rules that are tilted against workers. The
PRO Act tightens the definitions of independent contractor
and supervisor to help prevent misclassification and make
sure that all eligible workers can unionize if they choose to
do so. The PRO Act also makes clear that workers can have
more than one employer, and that both employers need to
engage in collective bargaining over the terms and conditions
of employment that they control or influence. To create
transparency in labor-management relations, the PRO Act would
require employers to post notices that inform workers of
their NRLA rights and to disclose contracts with consultants
hired to persuade workers on how to exercise their rights.
Through organizing, bargaining, litigation, legislative,
and political advocacy, unions and the labor movement have
played a significant role in advancing the rights and
interests of people of color and women in the workplace and
in our society overall. Unions can best play this role when
the right of workers to organize and bargain is fully
protected and can be freely exercised.
Working people in America need--and have a right to enjoy--
the benefits that result from collective bargaining and union
membership. We urge you to vote yes on H.R. 842, the
Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021, to help ensure
that working people are paid fairly, treated with dignity,
and have a voice on the job.
Sincerely,
Wade Henderson,
Interim President and CEO.
LaShawn Warren,
Executive Vice President for Government Affairs.