Magaziner Cosponsors Legislation to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize
Magaziner Cosponsors Legislation to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize
Magaziner joined colleagues from both parties in re-introducing the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02) became an original cosponsor of H.R. 20, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). The PRO Act, which is a comprehensive proposal to protect the rights of workers, will ensure workers’ ability to collectively bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.
“Every single worker ought to have the right to join a union and fight for fair benefits and wages, and for safe working conditions,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “We must protect the right for workers to organize, and hold companies who engage in anti-worker tactics accountable. I’ll always be proud to stand with labor unions and working people, so that all Rhode Islanders have an opportunity to achieve a stable middle class life.”
“Working people across Rhode Island know they have a fighter for them in Congressman Magaziner,” said Patrick Crowley, Secretary-Treasurer for the RI AFL-CIO. “Union members across the Ocean State thank him for co-sponsoring the PRO Act.”
“The PRO Act is the means to create a level and fair playing field,” said George Nee, President RI AFL-CIO. “It is the way of allowing workers to have a voice on their job and decide for themselves if they want union representation.”
Specifically, the PRO Act will bolster the protections granted to workers by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), so that workers can more effectively stand together to organize a union. Included in the bill are provisions to enhance workers’ rights to support strikes, override so-called “Right to Work” laws that prevent unions from collecting dues from workers they represent, and establish a private right of action for workers whose rights have been violated. The bill also holds employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by closing anti-worker loopholes in existing labor law and authorizing meaningful penalties for companies and executives that undermine workers’ rights. The PRO Act also takes bold action to secure free, fair, and safe union elections, by preventing employers from interfering and requiring employers to inform workers of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.
Rep. Magaziner spoke with the author of the PRO Act, Representative Bobby Scott (D-RI) about the legislation.
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