The Democratic Party-controlled House of Representatives is about to vote on the “PRO Act.” It will destroy the livelihood of millions of independent contractors and freelancers, ban Right to Work laws, and make it easier for union bosses to intimidate workers.
The PRO Act drastically increases the power of labor union leaders to force workers to pay them union dues. This is a quid pro quo, the payoff, in return for the hundreds of millions of dollars Big Labor poured into Democratic Party campaigns to capture the House, Senate, and White House. On the campaign trail, both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed the PRO Act and threatened to ban state Right to Work laws, which allow people the freedom to work without being forced to join a union or pay union dues.
The PRO Act would repeal all the existing Right to Work laws that protect 166 million people in 27 states, over half the U.S. population. Forced union dues are wrong, and no one should have to pay someone just to get a job. Congress recognized this over 70 years ago when it passed the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947. If the PRO Act passes, workers all across the country will be forced to pay cash to unions whether they want to or not.
This will harm workers just as our economy recovers from a pandemic-induced recession. Research shows that Right to Work states experience stronger growth in the number of people employed, growth in manufacturing employment, and growth in the private sector than states run by union bosses. According to the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, the percentage growth in the number of people employed between 2007-2017 in Right to Work states was 8.8% and 4.2% in forced-unionism states. Growth in manufacturing employment between 2012-2017 in Right to Work states was 5.5% and 1.7% in forced-unionism states. The percentage growth in the private sector from 2007-2017 in Right to Work states was 13.0% and 10.1% in forced-unionism states.
The PRO Act is also a crucial part of the Left’s full-court press to destroy the gig economy and crush opportunities for freelancers. The ability to work as an independent contractor has allowed millions of people to earn a living without the need to report to a boss.
Instead of championing these workers and their vibrant contributions to our economy, the Left wants to force them to have a boss. The PRO Act will federalize California’s harmful “ABC test” for independent contractors. The ABC test, promulgated under California’s absurd AB5 law, forcibly reclassified hundreds of thousands of California’s workers and limited opportunities for freelancers statewide. Nationalizing the ABC test would threaten the more than 57 million workers who engage in freelance work. A key part of the California AB5 law was repealed last November in a statewide referendum. The Democrat state legislators had passed AB5 to empower the union bosses who fund their campaigns. But the people of California wanted the freelance workers to be free.
But there are no national initiative petitions. If the Democratic majorities in Congress pass the PRO Act, people who support freelance work and Right to Work will simply lose their rights.
Note something else. The PRO Act also makes it easier for union organizers to bully and harass workers into joining a union. The bill forces employers to hand over sensitive employee information to union organizers, including home addresses and phone numbers, exposing workers to union intimidation in their homes. Additionally, the PRO Act dismantles key secret ballot protections for workers in certain circumstances, forcing workers to disclose publicly whether they want to be supported by a union or not.
The PRO Act is a massive expansion of Big Labor’s power at the expense of worker freedom. Employers will be able to force workers into unions as a condition of employment, and union bosses will have access to personal information to bully workers into compliance.
Let us hope this legislation dies a quick death.
Grover Norquist is the president of Americans for Tax Reform.
