Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

This week, in this very Chamber, we heard from President Trump about the great American comeback. Our booming economy is a result of proworker, progrowth, and pro-American policies passed during the 115th Congress and enacted by President Trump.

Wages are rising. Jobs are being created. And Americans from all different backgrounds are getting back to work, including workers without high school diplomas, who are experiencing the lowest unemployment rate recorded in U.S. history.

This body must build on this success, not go backward. The radical PRO Act will undoubtedly hurt the economy and force Americans out of work. In fact, a report from the American Action Forum found employers could face more than $47 billion in new annual costs if the PRO Act becomes law.

As a small business owner, I know firsthand the PRO Act would harm both employers and employees. The PRO Act contains numerous poison pills, from outrageous privacy violations to forced union dues.

This bill would outright ban the right-to-work laws that have been successful in States like my home State of Georgia, which has been named the best State to do business in now 7 years in a row.

Without right-to-work laws, workers are forced to pay for representation and political activities that they may not even agree with. From 2010 to 2018, unions spent more than $1.6 billion in member dues to hundreds of leftwing groups. Those include Planned Parenthood and the Clinton Foundation.

That is why I offered an amendment, which I hope everyone will support, to strike that provision and protect States' right-to-work laws. The Federal Government should not restrict American workers' First Amendment rights by forcing them to pay union dues.

The PRO Act will restrict our booming economy and infringe on the rights of workers and employers. The American worker deserves fairness, and he deserves choice.

My colleagues have a choice before them. They can stand with Americans and President Trump to keep America great and free by voting ``no'' on the PRO Act, or they can join the radicals who have seized the Democratic Party and put America on a path of socialism. I will always stand with liberty and President Trump and will proudly vote ``no'' on the PRO Act.
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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As a small business owner, I came to Congress to put America back on a path to prosperity and create jobs. I am proud to say that as a result of progrowth policies passed by the 115th Congress and enacted by President Trump, American workers are thriving under our strong economy. Unemployment is down and wages and jobs are up. I am particularly excited by the growth in my home State of Georgia.

For the seventh year in a row, Georgia has been named the best place to do business. A large part of that is because Georgia became a proud right-to-work State back in 1947. Ever since, families are flourishing; people are working; and business is booming.

But some of my colleagues in other States think they know what is best for Georgia. The PRO Act will outright ban right-to-work laws that have been so successful in States like Georgia. I can tell you right now that the folks of Georgia know what is best for them, not the Federal Government.

My amendment is simple. It strikes the ban on right-to-work States. The right to work is what fuels the American Dream, opening a door to upward mobility and the opportunity for workers to achieve their goals. No American should be forced to pay for representation and political activities that they do not agree with, and that is what will happen if we take away States' authority to enact right-to-work laws.

My amendment will protect States' right-to-work laws so that union dues are voluntary, giving power to workers, not union bosses, who pocket these benefits from mandatory dues. It should not even be up for debate. Workers should be in control of their earnings and how they spend it.

As Members of Congress our duty is to put our constituents first, so I encourage my colleagues to support my amendment, which prioritizes hardworking Americans' right to choose over the special interests of a union.

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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, the fact of the matter is that right-to-work States are stronger, growing faster, and more prosperous. The Federal Government has no business outright banning right-to-work laws that are so successful in many States across the Nation.

Why would California tell Georgia how to run their State?

Democrats in this body have a radical agenda to erode the rights of States. It is just wrong.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to protect States' rights and vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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