Workers are increasingly disenchanted with union bosses, who are pushing left-wing political agendas instead of representing the best interests of workers. Union bosses are in a tailspin as membership continues to decline. Before you listen to Big Labor twist the narrative, read @EdWorkforceCmte’s facts about the PRO Act, an extreme bill that will overturn important worker freedoms.
Union membership in the U.S. has been decreasing for over 60 years and continues to plummet due to the modern economy and unions’ own failings. Workers’ disenchantment with labor union representation has created a real crisis for union bosses.
Instead of increasing transparency and accountability to serve their members better, labor union leaders are demanding Democrats enact the PRO Act.
The PRO Act, far-reaching radical legislation, would force more workers into one-size-fits-all union contracts, subject more workers and job creators to union harassment, stifle workers’ rights, and increase disruptive and economically damaging union strikes and boycotts.
Research from the American Action Forum found employers could face more than $47 BILLION in new annual costsif the PRO Act becomes law, further jeopardizing the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHERE WE STAND:
Federal law already protects employees’ right to organize, and Republicans respect this right. Any reforms to U.S. labor laws should help workers, not union bosses. Unfortunately, the PRO Act infringes on the rights of workers and employers and will hurt the economy by making it more difficult and costly to invest in the American workforce.
THE PRO ACT IS A RADICAL UNION BOSS WISH LIST WHICH:
Overturns right-to-work laws in 27 states, forcing workers to pay millions of dollars from their hard-earned paychecks to labor unions, even if they don’t wish to be represented by a union or support union political advocacy.
From 2010 to 2018, unions sent more than $1.6 billion in member dues—money intended for collective bargaining and worker representation—to hundreds of leftwing groups such as Planned Parenthood, the Clinton Foundation, and the Progressive Democrats of America.
Allows union elections to be held at locations other than the business being organized, making the elections more susceptible to outside interference, coercion, and meddling.
Requires employers to hand over workers’ private, personal information to union organizers, including home addresses, cellphone and landline numbers, personal email addresses, and more—without the consent of workers.
By forcing this personal information to be shared, the PRO Act will subject workers to well-documented instances of harassment, intimidation, and deceit from union organizers.
Takes away workers’ right to vote by secret ballot in many circumstances by imposing a biased “card-check” scheme in which workers could be unionized without the union winning a secret-ballot election.
Every Member of Congress is elected by secret ballot and House Democrats elect their own caucus leadership by secret ballot, yet they want to deprive American workers of that same protection by passing the PRO Act.
Deprives individuals of entrepreneurial opportunities, the ability to set their own hours, and the flexibility to care for children and family members by creating burdensome and discredited legal standards for determining joint employment and independent contractor status. The PRO Act would eliminate the franchise industry and sharing economy as we know them.
Allows illegal immigrants to sue employers and collect financial rewards far in excess of what legal employees can currently receive.
Assesses new penalties of up to $100,000 on small businesses for unfair labor practices, potentially shuttering thousands of small businesses and bankrupting small business owners who are already struggling to stay afloat.
Attacks the due process rights of employers by denying them the opportunity to be heard before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on matters pertaining to union representation. Only unions will be allowed to speak before the NLRB in these instances.
Jeopardizes supply chains for food and manufactured goods during a period of global economic uncertainty and allows unions to target any business in America, pressuring companies to unionize by confronting their business partners.
Makes union bosses more powerful but less accountable to workers, increasing the risk of union corruption and wrongdoing. A recently concluded federal probe uncovered more than a decade of rampant corruption among the senior ranks of the United Auto Workers union, including money laundering, tax fraud, bribery, and embezzling workers’ hard-earned union dues for lavish personal expenses, leading to the conviction of 15 union officials.
BOTTOM LINE: This radical, backwards-looking bill will diminish the rights of workers and employers while harming the economy and providing a political gift to labor union special interests.
