FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Contact: Nick Voutsinos, Jobs With Justice, nick@jwj.org, 717-4137613
The U.S. House Passes the PRO Act, Workers Look to Senate
“Americans have a right to representation both in government and at work”
Washington, DC – Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Jobs With Justice Executive Director Erica Smiley gave the following statement in response:
“We applaud the House for passing the PRO Act today. Last week, the House passed the For the People Act, which will protect and expand our political democracy. Today, they turned to the other side of the coin: protecting and expanding our economic democracy. For too long, we have ignored this side of the coin – which has allowed the gutting of union membership over the past forty years and out–of–control economic inequality.
Americans have a right to representation both in government and at work. To have a vibrant democracy, we need to protect the people’s right to make their voices heard at the ballot box and their right to make their voice heard on the job. Working people now have their eyes on the Senate. The PRO Act and the For the People Act will overturn some of the rigged rules that deny people the ability to participate in our democracy. Working people will not stand for the excuse that the Senate’s own rigged rules prevent it from passing democratic reforms.”
If the PRO Act becomes law, it would ban employers from holding captive audience meetings to intimidate workers as they organize, impose stronger penalties for employers who illegally retaliate against workers who are trying to form a union, prevent employers from stalling the union election process, properly classify who is an employee with the right to join a union (preventing misclassification of independent contractors), and more.
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Jobs With Justice is the country’s leading nonprofit in the fight for workplace and economic democracy. Comprising a national network of local affiliates in nearly every state, Jobs With Justice brings together coalitions of unions, worker organizations, community groups, students, and faith institutions to win concrete improvements in people’s lives.
