Trahan Supports PRO Worker Legislation that Will Bolster Economic Recovery

Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) supported passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, the most significant upgrade to workers' ability to decide for themselves whether to exercise their right to unionize in nearly a century.

"Passing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act is deeply personal to me. As the daughter of a union ironworker, I know the incredible value that joining a union can create for working families like the one I grew up in. It's because of the strong benefits and family-sustaining wages secured by my father's union that my parents were able to provide for my sisters and me. The PRO Act is about making sure other families have that same chance. It's about restoring dignity and power to where it belongs: with workers," said Congresswoman Trahan.

During consideration of the PRO Act in the 116th Congress, Trahan successfully included a provision she authored to prohibit the use of offensive lockouts, an anti-union tactic employed by corporations where it expels union-represented employees from the work site, locks the gate, and refuses to permit them to return to work unless they accept the employer's proposal. Trahan was successful in maintaining that provision in the version of the legislation passed today.

The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on the glaring inequality in America's economy. During the first seven months of the pandemic, while workers suffered record-high unemployment, America's 614 billionaires grew their wealth by a combined $931 billion. The PRO Act will help rebuild America's middle class and create an economy where everyone can succeed, not just the wealthy. It will do so by providing new tools to protect workers from anti-union intimidation and retaliation, establishing stronger safeguards to ensure workers can hold free and fair union elections, and introducing meaningful penalties for corporations and executives that violate workers' collective bargaining rights.

Specifically, the PRO Act:

Empowers Workers to Exercise their Right to Organize

After a decades-long assault on workers' rights, funded by corporations and special interests, workers need stronger protections under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) so they can exercise their basic right to stand together and organize a union. In response, the PRO Act:

Streamlines access to justice for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights;
Gives workers the power to override so-called "right-to-work" laws that prevent unions from collecting dues from the workers they represent;
Enhances workers' right to support boycotts, strikes, or other acts of solidarity; and
Authorizes a private right of action for violations of workers' rights.
Holds Employers Accountable for Violating Workers' Rights

Under NLRA, there are no monetary penalties for companies that violate workers' rights no matter how repeated or egregious the violation. In addition, employers are constantly exploring new ways to prevent their workers from organizing. In response, the PRO Act:

Authorizes meaningful penalties for companies and executives that violate workers' rights;
Closes loopholes that corporations use to erode workers' rights;
Prevents companies from denying workers' access to justice by overturning the Supreme Court's radical assault on workers' rights in Epic Systems v. Lewis; and
Requires employers to be transparent with their workers.
Secures Free, Fair, and Safe Union Elections

Workers seeking to form a union are forced to endure a process that is rigged against them from start to finish. Many workers do not have a real opportunity to decide for themselves whether to organize a union. In response, the PRO Act:

Prevents employers from interfering in union elections;
Allows workers to hold union elections in a safe environment; and
Facilitates initial collective bargaining agreements so employers are unable to intentionally drag out negotiations for years.
The PRO Act is supported by a diverse collection of unions and advocacy groups, including AFL-CIO, the Leadership Conference, Laborers' International Union of North America, Transport Workers Union of America, Communications Workers of America, Service Employees International Union, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, United Food and Commercial Workers, National Treasury Employees Union, International Union of Bricklayers And Allied Craftworkers, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, National Nurses United, Organizations for a Sustainable Future, BlueGreen Alliance and Partners, and others.

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