Legislation that would overturn right-to-work laws in 27 states, including Mississippi, is advancing mostly along party lines in Washington D.C. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) would make it easier for workers to join and form unions by empowering the National Labor Relations Board to levy fines and extend collective bargaining rights to independent contractors.
Republicans believe it’s a job-killer, and an attack on states’ rights. They take issue with the fact that the bill would preempt state right-to-work laws, which guarantee no employee can be required to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.
Mississippi Congressman Michael Guest says, “We know that unions support democratic candidates with their financial contributions. This legislation makes it much easier for businesses to unionize. It actually takes away the secret ballot provision. That puts a lot of pressure on those individuals that don’t want to be part of the union. They don’t want their money being taken out of their check and given to political candidates they don’t support.”
Guest believes it’s all part of a bigger plan. “This is just another bill that the democrats’ are pushing in their radical agenda to overturn how we vote, how we police, how we possess our guns, and now this goes to the workplace.”
