Lifelong champion of organized labor helps pass bipartisan PRO Act
Tags: Labor & Trade
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today voted in favor of H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021. Co-sponsored by Pascrell, the legislation led by House Democrats would create pathbreaking protections for unionization and help millions of working Americans bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions.
“American workers are the backbone of our economy. After decades of Republican assaults on the right to unionize, House Democrats are today standing up for the protection and preservation of unions nationwide” said Rep. Pascrell, who has for years led efforts in Congress to protect and expand workers’ rights. “Every single working American deserves a fair shot to succeed in today’s economy. But corporations and big business continue to grow their slice of the pie while working families and middle-class Americans are being left behind. Our bill restores fairness to this balance by protecting workers’ right to join a union. I salute the leadership of my friend, Chairman Bobby Scott, in moving this bill forward and I now urge my Senate colleagues to approve it swiftly.”
As New Jersey’s only member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Pascrell uses his position to protect workers’ rights and defend unionization nationwide. He has praised recent efforts by New Jersey journalists to unionize and has decried private equity groups who have sought to destroy the Garden State’s media industry. Pascrell was a vehement opponent of the Supreme Court’s devastating 2018 Janus decision which imposed so-called right-to-work laws on public sector unions. And as the former ranking Democrat on the Trade Subcommittee, Pascrell repeatedly made workers’ rights the top priority as Congress renegotiated NAFTA with America’s leading trade partners.
Rep. Pascrell is also a strong supporter of legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour and give up to 27 million Americans a much deserved pay raise. He also supports efforts to restore workers' rights by removing obstacles that prevent workers from choosing whether they want to form or join a union. In addition, Pascrell has been a tireless opponent of threats to federal labor standards and is committed to ensuring that all workers can achieve economic prosperity in the safest conditions. Important to this approach are regulations backed by an unfettered Occupational Health and Safety Administration and a National Labor Relations Board equipped with the tools to protect the right to organize.
Original source can be found here.
