WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to help workers in Rhode Island and nationwide, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is teaming up with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and several colleagues to re-introduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.  This comprehensive labor legislation would prevent union busting and protect workers’ right to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

“Unionized labor helped build this country and grow the middle-class.  But under the Trump Administration, the playing field is being tilted against workers.  Congress must do its part to protect workers by making it fairer for them to bargain for fair wages, working conditions, and benefits.  Passing the PRO Act would level the playing field when workers want to unionize and collectively bargain and deter employers from breaking the law.  It would help more workers find good-paying, middle-class jobs that provide healthcare, safe working conditions, and a dignified retirement.  That’s a win for workers, employers, communities, and our economy,” said Senator Reed.  “The PRO Act is a reminder that when we join together and work together, we can build a better future and fairer economy for all.”

Organized labor helps protect workers’ health, safety, benefits, and retirement security.  A new U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report issued in January shows workers who are in unions are paid better than others, with non-union workers having median weekly earnings that were 85 percent of organized workers.

The PRO Act is named in honor of Richard Trumka, the former president of the AFL-CIO, who passed away in 2021.  The bipartisan bill seeks to expand measures to guarantee workers' ability to organize a union for collective bargaining and crack down on employers that violate the law when battling unions, by instituting civil penalties for violations of the law, including back pay and damages.

The PRO Act would protect the right to organize and collectively bargain by:

1.         Bolstering remedies and punishing violations of the rights of workers through authorizing meaningful penalties for employers that violate their rights, strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights  and authorizing a private right of action for violation of the rights of workers.

2.         Strengthening the rights of workers to join together and negotiate for better working conditions by enhancing their right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring unions can collect “fair share” fees, modernizing the union election process and facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements.

3.         Restoring fairness to an economy rigged against workers by closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors and increasing transparency in labor-management relations.

The PRO Act is led by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the U.S. Senate and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

More than 18 organizations endorsed the PRO Act, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Autoworkers (UAW), United Steelworkers (USW), Communications Workers of America (CWA), National Nurses United (NNU), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), the American Federation of Musicians, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA), Transport Workers Union (TWU), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).