Key Senator Throws Support Behind PRO Act, So Time To Act Is Now

On April 19, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced his support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which MSCI opposes. The U.S. House passed the legislation in March on a narrow, party-line vote of 225-206.

Sen. Machin’s support is significant because Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said he will bring the PRO Act up for a vote once it has 50 senators supporting it. With Sen. Manchin, there are now 47 Senate lawmakers on record in favor of the legislation.

As Connecting the Dots has explained, the PRO Act would:

• Effectively overturn right-to-work laws in 27 states;
• Allow the firing of workers who opt of out paying unwanted union dues;
• Strip independent contractors of flexible work arrangements and kill earning opportunities; and
• Abolish secret ballots and threaten worker privacy in favor of “card check” voting, where union organizers demand that individual workers publicly sign a card in favor of the union.

On April 20, the American Bar Association (ABA) sent a letter to U.S. senators opposing one provision in the PRO Act. The ABA said the so-called persuader regulation would “seriously undermine both the confidential attorney-client relationship and employers’ fundamental right to legal counsel.”

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), of which MSCI is a member, has launched a sustained media campaign against the PRO Act. Articles are available here, here, here, and here.

MSCI urges its members to communicate with their senators to express opposition to this legislation. The CDW has assembled a grassroots toolkit that includes a fact sheet explaining the bill, a video outlining the provisions of the legislation, and sample letter to for you to send to members of Congress. MSCI members also can help drive emails and phone calls into U.S. Senate offices by using the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s one-click advocacy tool. Click here  to find that tool. Individuals may also use this portal to send a message to U.S. senators requesting that they vote against the PRO Act.

Finally, to learn more about the PRO Act and ways to take action against it, visit StopthePROAct.com.

As a reminder, MSCI has signed letters organized by the CDW and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) opposing this legislation. NAM also has assembled a fact sheet and grassroots materials to help organizations that want to speak out against the PRO Act.