U.S. Chamber criticizes Protecting the Right to Organize Act

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has come out against the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 9.

The PRO Act (H.R. 842), which passed in the House by a vote of 225-206, seeks to empower workers to exercise their right to organize, hold employers accountable for violating workers’ rights, and secure free, fair, and safe union elections.

However, the Chamber said it would force employees to pay union dues regardless of whether they support a union, threaten private ballots in union elections, and strip workers of their independent contractor classification.

“A bill cannot be ‘pro-worker’ if it harms employees, threatens job creation, and undermines our economic recovery,” said Suzanne Clark, president and CEO-elect of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The PRO Act would threaten worker privacy, force employees to pay union dues or lose their jobs, and trample free speech rights. The Chamber will fight to ensure this wish list of union-sponsored priorities fails in the Senate and never becomes law.”

Specifically, the PRO Act would allow employers and unions to enter into a contract that allows unions to collect dues from the workers they represent. It would, in effect, override “right-to-work” laws.

If passed, the Chamber says workers who choose to opt-out of paying union dues “could be fired.” The Chamber also says independent contractors would lose flexible work arrangements and see fewer earning opportunities. Further, Chamber officials say it would encourage “card check” voting.

In a letter to members of the House, Chamber officials said the PRO Act would “further undermine the private ballot provisions in the NLRA by instead steering union certification elections towards a “card check” process. Under card check, workers would have to publicly sign cards indicating their support or opposition to a union.”