National Transgender Day of Remembrance

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the importance of the Protecting the Right to Organize, or as we know it, the PRO Act.

We heard several of my colleagues talk about the pros of what literally is taking place and how difficult it is. As many people know, and as we have heard here, there are 218 lawyers in Congress, but there is only one electrician and one electrician who spent his career not only doing the electrical work but representing workers.

I have spent 37 years in the IBEW, literally having to retire from that as I came here and took my oath of office to represent the people of the First District.

When we look at what is happening today in this country, it is the end of a long line of abuses, those things that have happened over the course of the last three decades in particular, the decline of union membership. Many of those on the other side of the aisle like to say that it is because people don't want it. This couldn't be any further than the truth.

Today, close to 80 percent of employees would vote for a union if they could--80 percent. This is quite a different figure than the 6 percent that you heard representing private employers, Mr. Speaker. That is because it has been rigged. I can say that because I am one of the few Members who speak on this floor who have been to the National Labor Relations Board and who has conducted elections. I have done it repeatedly. I see the cheating that takes place. That is why we have the PRO Act.

Earlier this year, we voted on something that I thought would have been unanimous, the Raise the Wage Act. The minimum wage in this country hasn't been raised in over 11 years--11 years--$7.25 an hour.

Tell me out there, can you live on $7.25 an hour?

We change that.

Predictably, over the next 7\1/2\ years, that would raise to $15 an hour. But our colleagues on the other side of the aisle say: They don't need a raise.

That is how unbelievable some of this is. Tell me, can you live on that?

The PRO Act is simply listening to the people whom we work with who want a voice and who want to be able to grow the business that they are working for so that they can share in those wages. That is where the PRO Act comes in.

I mentioned I was an electrician, and I still am. I am not doing much work the way I used to, but as I told my kids, I am an electrician with a tie now. But I saw firsthand people who would say: I want the chance to do better. I want the chance for us collectively to bargain.

They would come to see us and say: Can you help me?

We said: Sure we can.

We gathered together, and we speak with one voice, go to the NLRB, which is the labor relations board that makes the rules, and say: Here is a bargaining group of 8 to 10 men and women who want to become part of the IBEW, or speak collectively as we call it. Then the fight begins.

Occasionally, Mr. Speaker, you would have a contractor who says: Do you know what? After talking to them, I think this is a good way of working together to try to grow my business and to take care of my employees.

Unfortunately, for those who want to cheat the system, they start to say: Well, he is an independent contractor. He just started here. He is an apprentice.

They try to break up the groups. When they talk about bargaining groups as my colleague, Mr. Levin, talked about, it is about breaking that apart.

All this does is level the playing field and make it fair so those workers who want to vote to collectively bargain can do it in a fair and open way so the elections aren't rigged. Fair and open, we hear that so much today.

The PRO Act protects workers because the other thing that the employer will do is fire the one who spoke up: We will take care of the one who is causing the trouble.

I am trying to do better for my family, and I talked to my employer about a raise, and he doesn't want to do it, so I call up the union and say: Can you help me? And I get fired for that.

There is no recourse for bad actors. The PRO Act would change that and level the playing field so there are penalties when you break the law. It is like having speed limits with no police on the road. That is what it is like now. They are free to do whatever they want.

The PRO Act restores the fairness of the economy against those workers who are rigged. Workers win, but just as important, business wins. They grow together. It is just not a one size fits all. We understand working together is what this does.

We see so often the tragedies of what happened from the same crew who won't vote to raise the minimum wage in 11 years and who are the same ones fighting this.

Together, we can do better. Raise the level of fairness so that all employees will have a voice at their workplace.

Again, I thank the gentleman for bringing us together. I look at my colleagues out here who understand this on a gut level. To the Representatives who are listening tonight, go home and talk to the average guy on the street and say: Do you want to make it better, to raise your family, to have a decent wage? Then you will hear yes.

I recommend voting ``yes'' for the PRO Act.

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