U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) released the following statement in opposition to H.R. 842, The “Protecting the Right to Organize” Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that will harm workers, discourage business, and aid union bosses.
“The PRO Act, while deceptively claiming to be pro-worker, seeks to fundamentally re-engineer American labor regulations by overturning right-to-work laws, forcing one-size-fits-all union contracts, and prioritizing union bosses over employees. No wonder House Democrats are rushing this legislation through without a single committee hearing or markup. I will be voting no on this pro-union, anti-worker, and anti-business bill.”
Background on H.R. 842:
- Bans right-to-work laws in 27 states, including Utah.
- Under this legislation, all workers in a union shop would be required to pay union dues, including those who object to the union and wish to represent themselves.
- Requires employers to hand over workers’ private information to union organizers, including home addresses, cellphone and landline numbers, personal email addresses – without the consent of workers.
- Denies a secret ballot in union elections.
- Research from the American Action Forum found employers could face more than $47 billion in new annual costs if the PRO Act becomes law, further jeopardizing the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
