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Hearing Recap: “Workers in Charge: Restoring Choice and Accountability in the Workplace”

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 13, 2026

Today, the Education and Workforce Committee held a field hearing in Charlotte, North Carolina, to examine how federal labor laws can better protect workers' rights, give workers a stronger voice in union decisions, and hold union leaders accountable.

Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) opened the hearing by stressing the importance of putting workers, not union officials, in charge of decisions that affect their livelihoods. “We are here today because every American worker deserves a voice in the workplace and the freedom to choose whether or not to be represented by a union,” he said.

Mr. Terry Bowman, Chairman of the Institute for the American Worker and a longtime Ford employee, shared how he and three generations of his family have been represented by the United Auto Workers without ever having the chance to vote on union representation.

“Workers like me need more freedom, information, and protections, so that we can do what's best for ourselves,” he said. “We need reforms that put us in the driver's seat.”

Building on Bowman's testimony, Committee Vice Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT) asked why Bowman believes the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would only empower union officials, not workers. “There is no better tool for a worker to be able to hold their union answerable and accountable to the membership than having a right to work law. …The PRO Act…definitely empowers union officials over us and takes away some of our rights and dignity,” said Bowman.

Mr. William Messenger, Vice President and Legal Director of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, explained how federal labor rules can leave workers represented by unions they never had a chance to vote for.

“[O]ver 90% of unionized private-sector employees have never voted on whether they want that union's representation,” Messenger testified.

Messenger called for changes to federal labor laws that would give workers more opportunities to vote on union representation, protect secret-ballot elections, and ensure workers can decide whether to financially support a union.

Ms. Jennifer Betts, Office Managing Shareholder at Ogletree Deakins P.C., explained how frequent changes to federal labor rules create confusion for workers and businesses, especially small job creators that lack the resources to keep up.

Betts warned that small businesses can struggle to navigate changing labor rules, making it harder for them to understand their responsibilities and avoid costly legal disputes.

“The turmoil is real. … When the rules change, those contracts have to be reopened. Big businesses, they have the resources, the manpower, the money to absorb those changes and those renegotiations. Small businesses, maybe less so,” she explained.

Bottom line: Workers deserve a say in who represents them and the decisions that affect their jobs and paychecks. The Committee is examining ways to protect worker choice, strengthen union transparency, and make sure union leaders answer to the workers they represent.

 
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