There is a labor bill in US Congress right now known as the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019 (PRO Act). If passed, it could potentially be the most sweeping labor reform bill since the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, and the most pro-union labor reform bill since the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. Here's some changes it could make:
-Anti-union meetings can no longer be required by employers
-Ends "right to work" laws
-Lifts ban on secondary strikes
-Bans proactive lockouts
-Requires transparency from employers - Labor rights must be posted, and anti-union consultants must be disclosed
-Prevents misclassification of workers, i.e. no more independent contractors
-Meaningful penalties for employers for labor law violations
-No permanent replacement of workers on strike
-Prohibition on solidarity action with other workers will be removed
So far this bill has passed the House of Representatives, with 224 (218 Democrats, 5 Republicans, 1 Other) voting yes and 194 (7 Democrats, 186 Republicans, 1 Other) voting no. Passing this bill in the Senate would likely be more difficult though, as it is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with the the Democratic vice-president potentially casting a tie-breaking vote. Nevertheless, the PRO Act seems to be the best shot at sweeping labor reform in the US in decades. Perhaps it can put an end to the decades-long decline unions have been experiencing in the US, and maybe even enable general strikes once again (the US hasn't had a general strike since 1946). Imagine how much more effective social movements could be if they had the general strike at their disposal.
What are your thoughts?
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