Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the radical, partisan, and utterly shameful PRO Act.
This unnecessary bill is an assault on American workers, employers, and the economy. Democrats are pushing this sweeping legislation without holding a single committee hearing or markup.
Is this the new standard for the people's House?
It silences the minority and their constituents by denying a thorough examination of yet another extreme and damaging Democrat legislative scheme. It is disgraceful.
The pro-union bosses' act that Democrats have disingenuously titled the PRO Act is a left-wing wish list of union boss priorities, which undermines the rights of workers by forcing them to pay into a union system, whether or not they want to be represented by a union.
Many workers would not choose to funnel billions of their hard-earned dollars to left-wing groups like Planned Parenthood, the Clinton Foundation, the Progressive Democrats of America.
This misguided bill also stunts economic recovery by hitting employers over the head with an estimated $47 billion in new annual costs. But it is not just employers who will pay the price. This bill will reclassify gig economy workers as employees, costing tens of thousands of workers their jobs and eliminating the flexibility so many rely on to care for their family members; a priority even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The appalling list of bad policy provisions in this bill goes on, and we will hear more about them during this debate. The bottom line is this, the PRO Act is a sorry excuse for legislation, and the partisan process under which it is being considered is equally embarrassing. I urge all Members to reject the PRO Act.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the Democrats continue to look backward, 100 years backward. Just before COVID hit, we had the greatest economy in our country ever, the lowest unemployment for women, minorities, everyone, without the PRO Act.
No procapitalist can support this bill. This is part of a socialist agenda.
Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 842, the prounion bosses act.
Here we are once again. This is becoming all too familiar here in Congress, an exercise for Democrats to steamroll these massive bills through the House without proper debate or transparency. Our committee didn't even have a hearing or a markup on this.
Frankly, the bill is disastrous. Bills like this only further suppress workers' rights, create a one-size-fits-all type of union contract, and create incentives for disruptive and dangerous union strikes, especially in healthcare.
One particularly bothersome practice is this legislation would require employers to hand over workers' private personal information to union organizers--home addresses, cell phone numbers, email addresses-- without their employees' consent. These are privacy violations not to be tolerated in this country.
I know leadership doesn't want you guys to do this, but we want to work with you. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no'' on this legislation.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, we know that hyperbole is the strong suit of Democrats, but how anyone can say that giving freedom to workers to join or not join a union is trampling the rights of workers takes hyperbole to new heights.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains on each side?
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I am using my inside voice.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Indiana an additional 15 seconds.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, this bill is an effort by Democrats to cave to big labor and special interest groups' demands at the expense of the American workforce and the economy. Once again, Democrats are attempting to ram through radical, partisan legislation.
H.R. 842 is radical, backward-looking legislation, which will diminish the rights of workers and employers while harming the economy and providing a political gift to labor union special interests.
I thank my Republican colleagues for their hard work in fighting for American workers and job creators. I urge all of my colleagues to consider the serious damage that the passage of this bill would do, and I urge a ``no'' vote.
Madam Speaker, I reiterate, just before COVID hit, we had a booming, booming economy without this legislation. This will harm the economy, harm the American workers, and do great injustice to well-meaning employers who risk every day their capital and their energy to create jobs.
Madam Speaker, this bill deserves a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Democrat en bloc amendments. My Democrat colleagues are rushing a radical piece of legislation to the House floor without holding a single committee hearing or markup. Rushing sweeping, one-sided legislation to the floor without any prior debate or consideration this year silences Members of the minority. This is an outright assault on the legislative process and serves only to hide the Democrats' socialist agenda.
There are 20 new members on the Education and Labor Committee on both sides of the aisle, not to mention the dozens of new Members of the House, and their constituents deserve to have their elected representatives examine this dangerous bill.
Additionally, the last time the Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on any version of the PRO Act was July 2019. Since that time, a worldwide pandemic has devastated large sectors of the American economy. In light of this fact alone, Congress should hear from affected stakeholders before passing a radical sweeping bill.
Even more concerning than the muzzle imposed by this sham legislative process on the minority party and business owners around the country is the underlying bill's silencing and disenfranchisement of workers. This far-reaching legislation is nothing more than a union boss wish list aimed at rewarding Democrats' big labor allies at the expense of American workers.
Union membership in the United States has been decreasing for over 60 years, and continues to plummet due to the modern economy and unions' own failings. But instead of increasing transparency and accountability to serve their members better, labor union leaders are demanding House Democrats pass the PRO Act to tilt the scales in their favor. Democrats are doing exactly that, no matter the cost.
Madam Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues that Federal law already protects the right of employees to organize, and Republicans respect that right. But any reforms to U.S. labor laws should help workers flourish in the modern economy. Unfortunately, the extreme bill before us today helps union bosses at the expense of workers.
The slate of Democrat amendments included in this en bloc amendment are ploys disguised as policy intended to provide political cover to the Democrat Members who are uncomfortable voting for the job- destroying underlying bill, and, in many cases, the amendments included make the bill even worse.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, as the party that claims to champion the working class, Democrats have certainly missed the mark with this bill.
H.R. 842 will force employers to hand over workers' private, personal information to union organizers without workers having any say in the matter or making sure their information will not be shared with others. This would make it even easier for union organizers to target, harass, and intimidate workers.
H.R. 842 also overturns all State right-to-work laws. These 27 State laws allow workers to decide for themselves whether to join a union and pay dues.
If the PRO Act becomes law, workers will be forced to take money from their paychecks and give it to labor unions even if they don't want to be represented by a union. This is astonishing since we know that from 2010 to 2018 unions spent $1.6 billion in member dues on hundreds of left-leaning groups such as Planned Parenthood, the Clinton Foundation, and the Progressive Democrats of America without consulting their members.
The PRO Act will also undermine workers' right to vote by secret ballot by imposing a biased card-check scheme in which workers could be unionized without the union winning a secret ballot election. Every Member of Congress is elected by secret ballot, and House Democrats elect their own caucus leadership by secret ballot; yet they want to deprive American workers of that same protection by passing the PRO Act.
The bill also deprives individuals of entrepreneurial opportunities, the ability to set their own hours, and the flexibility to care for children and family members by creating burdensome and discredited legal standards for determining joint employment and independent contractor status. The PRO Act means the elimination of the franchise industry and sharing economy as we know them.
The bottom line is the underlying bill is shameful, and so is the process under which it is being considered. The Democrats' en bloc package of amendments does nothing to change that. H.R. 842 is radical, backwards-looking legislation which will diminish the rights of workers and employers while harming the economy and providing a political gift to labor union special interests.
We are better than this.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Republican en bloc amendments.
Madam Speaker, of the 58 amendments submitted by Republicans, unfortunately only nine were made in order, and I remind my colleagues that no committee markup was held on the bill, which prevented any amendments from being considered prior to today.
The Republican amendments highlight the radical and flawed approach H.R. 842 takes which would completely unbalance American labor law in favor of unions while diminishing worker freedom.
I will briefly mention several of the amendments which are included in this en bloc package: Mr. Allen's amendment strikes the provision that overturns 27 right-to-work laws which ensure workers do not have to join or pay dues to a union if they choose not to.
Mr. Comer's amendment strikes the provision that would require attorney and consultants to disclose to the Federal Government the agreements they have with employers even if the attorney or consultant never has any contact with employees.
Mr. Fitzgerald's amendment protects worker paychecks by requiring that unions receive express consent to spend their money on activities unrelated to collective bargaining, such as politics.
Mr. Good's amendment highlights the often coercive nature of so- called neutrality agreements entered by an employer and union during an organizing drive.
Representative Keller's amendment removes the provision that would allow intermittent strikes which would be incredibly disruptive to small businesses, and the amendment also removes the provision that would prohibit employers from replacing workers permanently to keep businesses open.
Representative Walberg's amendment would give employers a reasonable amount of time to prepare for a free election hearing which is especially important for small businesses who have no HR personnel or in-house attorney.
Mr. Wilson's amendment would ensure that workers across the country do not have to join or pay dues to a union if that is their choice.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, amendment No. 19 amends section 111 and replaces the text with the National Right to Work Act. Section 111 takes away the freedoms of hardworking Americans and overrules State right-to-work laws of 27 States enthusiastically enacted by voters.
American workers should not be forced to pay fees to a labor organization. American workers should not be forced to have a union represent them. American workers should not be forced to have their money go to political candidates they do not support. American workers deserve freedom, and this amendment delivers that.
Right-to-work States like South Carolina have seen firsthand the job creation and robust economy that develops when we expand freedom for jobs. It was crucial for South Carolina in our journey to become the leading manufacturer and exporter of tires with Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, and Giti, while also being the largest exporter of cars in the United States with BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes vans.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, could I inquire as to how much time is remaining?
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my Republican colleagues for offering these thoughtful amendments, which would protect the interests and rights of workers and employers alike. They negate some of the worst aspects of the PRO Act.
My colleagues on the other side of the aisle said that the PRO Act gives workers the right to form a union. That right has been around since the 1930s, Madam Speaker. Workers are already free to form a union, and Republicans do nothing to try to stop that freedom.
What the underlying bill does, however, is take away the freedom not to belong to a union. That is a fundamental freedom in this country, and we ought not to be taking that away from the American workers.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on the Republican en bloc amendments and a ``no'' vote on the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
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