Sherman & Labor Caucus Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize

WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32), along with a bipartisan group of House and Senate Members, reintroduced H.R. 20, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

I am proud to once again help introduce the Protecting the Right to Organize Act with Congressman Bobby Scott and my House Labor Caucus colleagues," said Congressman Sherman. "We must pass the PRO Act - and my Nationwide Right to Unionize Act - to strengthen labor rights across the country and afford every worker the opportunity to join a good-paying union job."

The House bill was introduced by the Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08), and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01). The Senate companion was introduced by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

The PRO Act protects the basic right to join a union by:

-Holds employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by authorizing meaningful penalties, facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements, and closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.

-Empowers workers to exercise their right to organize by strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, protecting workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers’ unions can collect “fair share” fees, and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.

-Secures free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from interfering in union elections, prohibiting captive audience meetings, and requiring employers to be transparent with their workers.

For the bill text of the PRO Act, click here.

For a fact sheet on the PRO Act, click here.

For a section-by-section summary of the PRO Act, click here.

In the House of Representatives, the PRO Act is supported by 210 Representatives, including: Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-00), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Donald S Beyer (VA-08), Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Janelle S. Bynum (OR-05), Salud O. Carbajal (CA-24), André Carson (IN-07), Troy A. Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Ed Case (HI-01), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (CA-31), Katherine M. Clark (MA-05), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Herbert Conaway Jr. (NJ-03), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jason Crow (CO-06), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Donald G. Davis (NC-01), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Suzan K. DelBene (WA-01), Christopher R. Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Shomari Figures (AL-02), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Bill Foster (IL-11), Valerie P. Foushee (NC-04), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Laura Gillen (NY-04), Jared Golden (ME-02), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Adam Gray (CA-13), Al Green (TX-09), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Josh Harder (CA-09), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Jim Himes (CT-04), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Val T. Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hakeem S. Jeffries (NY-08), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Bill Keating (MA-09), Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Timothy M. Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Rick Larsen (WA-02), John B. Larson (CT-01), George Latimer (NY-16), Summer Lee (PA-12), Susie Lee (NV-03), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Mike Levin (CA-49), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John W. Mannion (NY-22) , Doris O. Matsui (CA-07), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), James P. McGovern (MA-02), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Grace Meng (NY-06), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Joseph D. Morelle (NY-25), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Frank J. Mrvan (IN-01), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Richard E. Neal (MA-01), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Johnny Olszewski Jr. (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Scott H. Peters (CA-50), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Stacey E. Plaskett (VI-At Large), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Josh Riley (NY-19), Luz M. Rivas (CA-29), Deborah K. Ross (NC-02), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Patrick Ryan (NY-18), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Janice D. Schakowsky (IL-09), Bradley Scott  Schneider (IL-10), Hillary J. Scholten (MI-03), Kim Schrier (WA-08), David Scott (GA-13), Terri A. Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Chris H. Smith (NJ-04), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Darren Soto (FL-09), Melanie A. Stansbury (NM-01), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Haley M. Stevens (MI-11), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Thomas R. Suozzi (NY-03), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Norma J. Torres (CA-35), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Derek Tran (CA-45), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Marc A. Veasey (TX-33), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Eugene Simon Vindman (VA-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), George Whitesides (CA-27), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24). 

The PRO Act is supported by:AFL-CIO, American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Communications Workers of America (CWA), Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA), National Nurses United (NNU), National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO (TWU), United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), and United Steelworkers (USW). 

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