Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in strong support of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. I rise in support of unions and millions of workers fighting for higher wages, better benefits, and safe working conditions.

For years, Republicans and corporate interests have been chipping away at the rights of workers in America. Employers are aggressively waging a campaign against unions and against the best interests of their workers.

It is illegal for employers to intimidate workers who want to join unions, but it is still happening, because these union-busting bosses are not being held responsible. The PRO Act will ensure that penalties are enforced to help put an end to these antiunion activities.

American workers are putting in the work; they should also be reaping the rewards of their labor. The PRO Act will help workers stand together to demand their fair share and to make their bosses listen.

Mr. Chair, I enter into the Record a letter from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in support of the PRO Act. International Longshore & Warehouse Union, San Francisco, California, February 3, 2020.

Dear Representative: As President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), I urge you to support the PRO Act (Protecting the Right to Organize Act, H.R. 2474) when debated on the House Floor this week. The ILWU further urges you to oppose amendments that would weaken this important legislation.

The ILWU is committed to organizing the unorganized. We recently celebrated the first union contract for workers at Anchor Steam Brewing Co. in San Francisco, California. We have organized other workers into our great union, but have been unsuccessful in achieving a fair contract due to bad faith bargaining. The truth is that every day workers are intimidated, threatened, and coerced simply because they aspire to join a union and achieve a better life. Our current labor law allows this immoral corporate behavior without meaningful consequences.

The United States gave Americans the right to organize labor unions under the National Labor Relations Act (NRLA). The increase in unionization encouraged by the law significantly diminished income inequality over the next forty years. American workers prospered as a result of having a voice in the workplace.

However, over time, corporations and their political allies have gutted organizing rights, and diminished unions, which has caused great economic disparities. The decline in union density accounts for one third of the rise in income inequality among men and one fifth among women according to the Economic Policy Institute.

The time is now to restore workers' potential to organize. The PRO Act restores the balance of power we desperately need between workers and management. This bill authorizes the NLRB to assess monetary penalties for each violation in which a workers is wrongfully terminated or suffers serious economic harm. The bill importantly imposes personal liability on corporate directors and officers who participate in violations of workers' rights or have knowledge of and fail to prevent such violations.

The PRO Act also gives workers the right to override so- called ``right to work'' laws that prevent unions from collecting dues from the people they represent. The bill would give employers and unions the right to enter into a contract that allows unions to collect fair share fees that cover the costs of collective bargaining and administering the contract. It is simply unfair and divisive for some non- dues paying workers to get a free ride off the backs of their fellow dues paying workers.

Further, the Act protects First Amendment rights by removing prohibitions on workers acting in solidarity with workers at other companies. The bill also prohibits companies from permanently replacing striking workers.

A critical part of the legislation seeks to facilitate initial collective bargaining agreements. Even when workers succeed in forming a union, nearly half of newly formed unions fail to ever reach a contract with the employer. The bill facilitates first contracts between companies and newly certified unions by requiring mediation and arbitration to settle disputes.

The ILWU fully supports the PRO Act and we urge you to actively support this important legislation to benefit the organized labor and those workers who seek to join a union. It is time to restore the right to organize to American workers. Sincerely, William Adams, President.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker).

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