Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted for the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021 to continue his longtime commitment to the well-being of American workers. The bill (H.R. 842) helps workers in several ways. It strengthens the ability of workers to form unions so they can negotiate better wages and benefits. It protects the rights of workers to strike when necessary and engage in collective or class actions to enforce their rights. Also, the bill requires companies to inform all employees of their rights and creates stronger penalties when those rights are violated.
“Unions are the most important tool workers have to protect and defend their rights in the workplace,” said Rep. Payne, Jr. “Workers have been losing those rights slowly during the last four decades. This bill helps restore many of those rights and remedy what has been an ongoing issue in our country. We need this bill and bills like it to protect and grow our shrinking middle class.”
This bill benefits middle-income American workers at a time when they need it the most. From 1979 to 2019, union membership has dropped more than 50 percent. In addition, average incomes for the bottom 90 percent of households increased just 1.1 percent compared to almost 200 percent for the wealthiest one percent. Even after a year of the COVID-19 pandemic with millions of Americans still out of work, American billionaires grew their wealth by a combined $931 billion. When workers exercise their right to organize a union, they have higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. Rep. Payne, Jr. voted for the PRO Act because it strengthens federal laws that protect the rights of workers to unionize and earn more for their labor.
Original source can be found here.
