Labor could see more than $20 billion from union dues to spend on lobbying and other political activity

Washington, D.C. – A new report by the Institute for the American Worker (I4AW) shows labor bosses could rake in $9 billion more per year through increased dues if the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act becomes law as more American workers would be forced into joining unions.

With billions of dollars more for union bosses to spend on lobbying and other political activities, the report shows the PRO Act would primarily benefit the politicians and candidates advocating for the legislation.

Key report findings include:

• If unions increase their membership to 1983 levels, dues received could exceed $20 billion per year.
• Unions would be able to spend an additional $660 million per year or $3 billion per election cycle on lobbying and other political activities.
• In 2020, unions’ financial reports showed they spent $791 million on politics and lobbying.
• Unions spend 87 percent of their lobbying and political activity budget to support Democrats and 13 percent to support Republicans.

Kristen Swearingen, Chair of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), composed of more than 600 major business and industry groups representing millions of businesses that employ tens of millions of workers nationwide, said the report illustrates what the consequences are if the PRO Act is made into law:

“The PRO Act would substantially pad the coffers of Big Labor bosses and subsidize their pressure and intimidation tactics against elected officials in order to support their out-of-the-mainstream agenda,” stated Swearingen. “This power grab by labor organizers comes at the expense of workers, small and local businesses, entrepreneurs and Main Street consumers who would be forced to hand their paychecks over to union bosses.”

Swearingen went on to say that the PRO Act would have a devastating impact on Americans’ way of life and right to work without having to join a union.

“If the PRO Act becomes law, thousands of small business owners will be forced to close their doors permanently, and millions of employees would not only lose their job, their right to work, but also their privacy protections as their personal information would be handed over to union organizers who could then show up at their house or bully them online to force them to join in order to obtain or retain a job,” stated Swearingen.

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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