Casten Joins Bipartisan, Bicameral Labor Leaders to Introduce Bill to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize
Washington, DC (February 28th, 2023) – Today, Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) joined a bipartisan group of House and Senate Members to introduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023 (H.R. 20), a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.
Large corporations and the wealthy continue to capture the rewards of a growing economy while working families and middle-class Americans are left behind. From 1979 to 2020, annual wages for the bottom 90 percent of households increased just 26 percent, while average incomes for the wealthiest 1 percent increased more than 160 percent.
Unions are critical to growing a strong middle class and creating an economy that rewards hardworking people. Studies show that union members earn on average 10 percent more than those with similar education, occupation, and experience in a non-union workplace.
"From 1980 to 2017, the average income for the bottom 90 percent of households increased just 1.1. percent, while the wealthiest 1 percent's income increased more than 184 percent,” said Congressman Sean Casten. “It's clear we're leaving hardworking Americans in the dust. As families struggle to pay for health care, education, childcare, housing and various other necessities, it's critical we strengthen our workers protections to help our middle class compete in this economy. Today, I was proud to vote for the PRO Act to lend a hand to our workers."
The PRO Act protects the basic right to join a union by:
· Holding employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by authorizing meaningful penalties, facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements, and closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.
· Empowering workers to exercise their right to organize by strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, protecting workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers can collect “fair share” fees, and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.
· Securing free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from interfering in union elections, prohibiting captive audience meetings, and requiring employers to be transparent with their workers.
For the bill text of the PRO Act, click here.
For a fact sheet on the PRO Act, click here.
For a section-by-section summary of the PRO Act, click here.