WASHINGTON, DC– Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ) joined congressional leaders, labor leaders, and workers to introduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Rep. Norcross, a co-founder of the Congressional Labor Caucus, is a union electrician by trade, a former union organizer, and was president of an AFL-CIO regional labor council for nearly two decades. 

“I know how important it is to give workers a voice and protect them from unfair labor practices because I lived it,” said Congressman Norcross. “At its core, the PRO Act carries Rich’s legacy forward by promoting worker solidarity, giving hardworking women and men a voice in their workplace, and holding accountable corporate bosses who violate workers’ rights. I first met Rich back in the 80s at a union hall in Cherry Hill, where he was collecting donations to support striking coal miners.  The PRO Act strengthens union protections, and I can think of no better person to name this critical piece of legislation after than Rich.” 

The PRO Act increases protections for workers engaging in union or other collective bargaining activities, expanding unfair labor practices to prohibitions on the replacement of, or discrimination against, workers who participate in strikes. The bill also makes it an unfair labor practice to require or coerce employees to attend employer meetings designed to discourage union membership. 

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

1. Holding 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. 
2. Empowering 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 can collect “fair share” fees, and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights. 
3. Securing 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 a fact sheet on the PRO Act, click here. 

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

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

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