Protecting the Right to Organize Act

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act, also known as the PRO Act, Following the New Deal, a number of bills were passed which restricted the activities of labor unions. Among these was the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947 (commonly known as the Taft-Hartley Act), which among other things prohibited secondary boycotts and closed shops. In 2009, the Employee Free Choice Act, another bill which would have amended the National Labor Relations Act, failed to pass. In the State of California, following the passage of California Assembly Bill 5, Proposition 22 was passed in 2020. Proposition 22 was intended to classify so-called gig workers for app-based companies (such as Lyft, Uber, DoorDash and Postmates) as "independent contractors" rather than full employees. == Content ==

The PRO Act would amend the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (also known as the Wagner Act), the Taft-Hartley Act, and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (also known as the Landrum–Griffin Act). According to the summary text of the PRO Act, it revises definitions under labor law, permits labor unions to encourage participation in secondary strikes, and prohibits employers from litigating against unions which conduct such secondary strikes:Among other things, it (1) revises the definitions of employee, supervisor, and employer to broaden the scope of individuals covered by the fair labor standards; (2) permits labor organizations to encourage participation of union members in strikes initiated by employees represented by a different labor organization (i.e., secondary strikes); and (3) prohibits employers from bringing claims against unions that conduct such secondary strikes. It would allow unions to override right-to-work laws, allowing labor unions to collect dues from all employees in a workplace, regardless of whether or not they are a member of a labor union. It would also prohibit company-sponsored captive audience meetings used to counteract and discourage attempts at labor organization as an unfair labor practice. It prevents an employer from holding citizenship status against an employee. The PRO Act would alter union election rules. For example, it would allow unions to hold elections through mail ballots or electronic ballots. == Support and opposition ==

Polling A poll conducted by Vox and Data for Progress in June 2021 said that 59% of likely U.S. voters supported the PRO Act, and 29% opposed it. Support A letter signed by over 100 labor unions, advocacy organizations, churches, and political groups supported the PRO Act. This included but was not limited to the AFL-CIO, EPI, Public Citizen, AFT, Sunrise Movement, CPD, DSA, SEIU, PFAW, CWA, FSP, FoEI, HRW, USW, IWPR, GBCS, IFPTE, NETWORK, Patriotic Millionaires, and Oxfam. Ryan Kekeris, an organizer with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, said the PRO Act "modernizes and updates a lot of the loopholes and the brokenness of U.S. labor law". Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO said, "If you really want to correct inequality in this country ... passing the PRO Act is absolutely essential to doing that." Joe Biden endorsed the PRO Act, and has called labor law reform one of the top priorities of his administration. Opposition At least 150 business groups oppose the PRO Act. Those who oppose it, including Republicans, business groups, and industry groups, have variously said the PRO Act would hurt business and workers, violate privacy rights, give unions too much bargaining power, enable corruption, and would disrespect states' rights. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business-oriented lobby group, opposes the PRO Act. == Legislative activity ==

116th Congress On May 2, 2019, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019, in the House of Representatives. It had 218 cosponsors. The bill passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 224 to 194 on May 6, 2020. Seven House Democrats voted against the bill. On May 2, 2019, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced S.1306, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019, in the Senate. It was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The bill had 41 cosponsors. 117th Congress On February 4, 2021, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 in the House of Representatives. Of the bill's 213 cosponsors, 3 – Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), and Chris Smith (NJ-04) – were Republicans; the other 210 were Democrats. The bill passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 225 to 206 on March 9, 2021. Five House Republicans (Brian Fitzpatrick, John Katko, Chris Smith, Jeff Van Drew, and Don Young) joined the House Democrats in voting for it, while one Democrat (Henry Cuellar) voted against it. The bill advanced to the U.S. Senate; == Legislative history ==

As of December 16, 2025: == See also ==