“PRO Act Is Anti-Worker, Invades Workers’ Privacy, And Will Kill Jobs”

 

Washington, D.C. – The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), composed of hundreds of organizations representing millions of businesses that employ tens of millions of workers nationwide in nearly every industry, released the following statement today in response to unions’ planned “National Day of Action to Pass the PRO Act.”

The following statement is attributable to CDW Chair Kristen Swearingen:

“Union bosses have been spinning a web of misinformation and complete falsehoods in shamelessly promoting the PRO Act as pro-worker. In fact, this legislation is anti-worker, invades workers’ privacy, and will kill jobs. It is designed to take hard-earned income away from small businesses and employees to boost the coffers of organized labor.

“The PRO Act would force employers to hand over personal contact information of employees to labor organizers, even for those employees who have no interest in the union. With unfettered access to employees, labor organizers would have the ability to harass and bully workers into joining a union. They could show up at their home, spam them on email and even bully them on social media. The PRO Act is incredibly short-sighted, especially given growing concerns regarding privacy in this country.

“In an attempt to increase union membership at any cost, the bill would make radical changes to well-established law, diminish employees’ rights to privacy and association, destroy businesses, and threaten entire industries that have fueled innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.

“At a time when thousands of small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and employees retained during the COVID-19 pandemic, this bill would force businesses to close permanently and lay off workers. Bottomline, hundreds of thousands of Americans could lose their job and important employee rights if the PRO Act becomes law.”

Click here for more information on the negative impacts of the PRO Act.

 

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About The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace

CDW is a broad-based coalition of hundreds of organizations representing hundreds of thousands of employers and millions of employees in various industries across the country concerned with a long-standing effort by some in the labor movement to make radical changes to the National Labor Relations Act without regard to the severely negative impact they would have on employees, employers, and the economy. CDW was originally formed in 2005 in opposition to the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) – a bill similar to the PRO Act – that would have stripped employees of the right to secret ballots in union representation elections and allowed arbitrators to set contract terms regardless of the consequence to workers or businesses.

 

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