The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, according to The New York Times (subscription). The bill includes numerous labor provisions, including removing the right to a secret ballot in union elections and allowing unions to access personal employee information in union-organizing drives.
The outlook: The bill faces opposition and a likely filibuster from Republicans in the Senate, who contend that it would negatively impact workers and make it harder for businesses to operate across the country.
A sense of the industry: In the latest NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, 97% of respondents familiar with the PRO Act said it would negatively impact operations and damage relationships with manufacturing workers. More than 130 organizations representing manufacturers nationwide joined an NAM letter opposing the PRO Act.
“When you consider the harm that it will do to the employer–employee relationship, it’s clear the PRO Act is anti-worker,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons.
“As the latest Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey highlights, manufacturers have deep concerns about the PRO Act’s intrusions on worker privacy and restrictions on workplace communication—among many other issues.”
“It will make it harder for manufacturers to thrive and more difficult to foster positive, inclusive workplace cultures. Manufacturers recognize and support workers’ federally-protected right to collectively bargain. But the PRO Act will upend the modern workplace, and it could set back our industry, our workers and their families at a time when optimism is finally on the rise.”
And more: “The PRO Act, unfortunately, would disrupt 70 years of labor law, 70 years of settled labor law,” Timmons added in an interview with Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the proposal in detail. Watch the full interview here.
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