Washington Retail has joined a coalition of business organizations in opposition to the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, coined by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as “the worst bill in Congress.”
The U.S. House is currently considering the bill, H.R. 842. Its timing is particularly harmful for small businesses that have struggled to overcome lockdowns and reduced business capacity during the year-long pandemic.
If approved by Congress, the pro-labor bill includes provisions harmful to employers and employees alike.
It would:
- Remove the right to a secret ballot for employees
- Remove the choice for workers in deciding whether they want to be union members
- Include “ambush” elections that give employers little notice of a pending union vote
- Include the formation of “micro” unions within departments and the cancellation of state right-to-work laws.
- Prohibit employees from guarding personal information from union organizers and marketing their skills with businesses as independent contractors.
NRF has posted an action portal on its website where anyone can arrange to text, call or email members of Congress to oppose the ProAct. We encourage you to take a look and actively oppose this damaging piece of legislation.
If approved, H.R. 842 would shift U.S. labor policy in a way that would disrupt labor-management relations to the detriment of employees and employers.
The pandemic has been devastating on retailers and their employees, particularly small businesses. More than 160 have closed their doors for good in downtown Seattle, for example. The toll around the state is far greater including lingering record unemployment.
Rather than making employers the prey for plantiffs’ attorneys, legalizing boycotts of struggling businesses and picketing stores that refuse to cooperate, Congress should focus on helping small businesses find ways to confront the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic and help the U.S. economy safely and quickly recover.
