The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (HR 842) is sponsored by Representative Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Virginia). It would, among other things, override right-to-work laws and allow unions to collect dues and fees from people who opt out of joining a union. Unions have long complained that they are not being reimbursed for the cost of collective bargaining on behalf of non-union members in organized workplaces.
The National Retail Federation (NRF), the world's largest trade association, considers The PRO Act to be "the worst bill in Congress." The Chamber of Commerce is also opposed to The PRO Act. Those groups aren't alone in their criticism.
Bolar
"We know that unions often support and advocate for causes that go against many Americans' beliefs [that] happen to be conservative, [and] we know unions are often working hand-in-hand with the left," says Kelsey Bolar of Independent Women's Forum (IWF). "So, for the Biden administration to essentially remove Americans' ability to work independently without a union is and should be a huge threat to many Americans."
IWF claims that if The PRO Act becomes law, "millions of the nation's 57 million freelancers" would be left unemployed – perhaps indefinitely.
The PRO Act passed the House on March 9 by a vote of 225-206. Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the measure, which now awaits approval in the Senate.
One News Now also spoke with Mark Mix of National Right to Work Committee about The PRO Act.
Mix
"Folks across the country – and particularly in the 27 states that will have their right-to-work laws wiped out – should be contacting their senators right away and telling them that no matter how Joe Biden tries to empower and privilege union officials here in Washington, DC, regular Americans and working Americans and every American across the country believes in volunteerism and individual freedom," says Mix. "So, they have got to stay on top of this. They have to contact their senators and say 'oppose The PRO Act' in all instances."
"The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class," President Joe Biden said about The PRO Act in early March. "Unions give workers a stronger voice to increase wages, improve the quality of jobs and protect job security, protect against racial and all other forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, and protect workers' health, safety, and benefits in the workplace."
Biden's $2 trillion+ infrastructure plan includes The PRO Act.
WASHINGTON (April 9, 2021) — President Joe Biden on Friday ordered a study of adding seats to the Supreme Court, creating a commission that will spend the next six months examining the politically charged issues of expanding the court and instituting term limits for its justices.
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Criticism continues over legislation known as The PRO Act – one group describing it as a huge overreach by the federal government.
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