Senators Shaheen, Hassan Colleagues Introduce Bill to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joined their colleagues in introducing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which will strengthen federal laws that protect workers’ right to join a union and bargain for higher wages and better benefits. 

“New Hampshire is strongest when we stand with our workers, and I will always fight to protect our Granite State union men and women. That is why I’m proud to again help introduce the Protecting the Right to Organize Act,” said Senator Shaheen. “This comprehensive labor legislation would ensure unions can remain effective in championing workers’ rights and bargaining for fairer wages, better benefits and safer workplaces. Now more than ever, Congress must stand up to protect America’s working men and women, and I urge Senate leadership to take action on the most consequential labor rights bill in decades.”

“Americans deserve safe working environments with fair wages and benefits, but that too often is not the case,” said Senator Hassan. “I am pleased to introduce the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which will take necessary steps to strengthen the ability of unions to fight for workers’ rights and better benefits. I urge my colleagues in Congress and the administration to come together to back this important bill that will support workers, help expand our middle class, and bolster economic opportunity for all Granite Staters and Americans.”   

The PRO Act would protect the right to organize and collectively bargain by:

• Bolstering remedies and punishing violations of workers’ rights through authorizing meaningful penalties for employers that violate workers’ rights, strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.

• Strengthening workers’ right to join together and negotiate for better working conditions by enhancing workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers can collect “fair share” fees, modernizing the union election process, and facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements.

• Restoring fairness to an economy rigged against workers by closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors and increasing transparency in labor-management relations.