Legislators in both houses of Congress are considering — again — a proposal aimed at protecting workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces.

The Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2023, or PRO Act, would hold employers accountable for violating workers’ rights and secure “free, fair and safe union elections,” supporters say. The legislation also would make it more difficult for employers to misclassify employees as supervisors and independent contractors, they add.

“As a fundamental aspect to the continuous progress of our hardworking middle class, it is imperative that each working individual be empowered to exercise their right to stand together, organize, and be a part of a union,” stated Sen. Bob Menendez (D), a co-sponsor of the legislation. 

The Senate Committee on Health, Educiation, Labor and Pensions will hold a hearing on the bill on Wednesday.

As McKnight’s has reported, the PRO Act, named for the AFL-CIO president who died in 2021, passed the House of Representatives in 2020 and 2021 but never reached the floor for a vote in the Senate

According to SHRM attorney Allen Smith, the re-introduced PRO Act would “increase remedies for violations of workers’ rights, enhance workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensure that unions can collect ‘fair share’ fees, modernize the union election process and facilitate initial collective bargaining agreements.” 

One of the lawmakers who introduced the bill is a Republican, but among the PRO Act’s opposers is House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC).

“The PRO Act is a key tenet of the Left’s agenda, a radical wish list of union boss priorities which undermines the rights of workers,” Foxx said in a statement. “To my Democrat colleagues and their union allies, I have one simple message: The era of Big Labor in the Committee is over, and putting the demands of union bosses above the interests of America’s workers and job creators will stop.”

The House bill was introduced by the Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

The Senate bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kyrsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Alex Padilla (D), Bob Menendez (D-N.J), Jeff Merkley (D-OR, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Tina Smith (D-MN), Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY, Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).