BOYLE STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF PRO ACT

Press Release

Today, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), co-chair of the Blue Collar Caucus, voted to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Congressman Boyle is a lead co-sponsor of the PRO Act, which is the most significant upgrade to U.S. labor law in 80 years.

"This is an historic day for American workers. This bill strengthens the power of workers to organize and fight for better wages and benefits. We must firmly stand by labor unions to keep our workers empowered," said Congressman Boyle.

"In Philadelphia, unions are the backbone of our city and they continuously demonstrate the benefits of union membership to the rest of America. They are directly responsible for better working conditions, paid sick leave, higher wages, and much more. This week's passage of the PRO Act reaffirms Congress' promise to stand by America's working people. I will continue to fight for American workers and against union-busting policies," said Boyle.

Research consistently shows that workers who are represented by unions earn higher pay, have safer workplaces, and are more likely to have employer-sponsored health care and retirement plans. But, after decades of attacks on workers' right to organize funded by wealthy special interests, just ten percent of American workers are union members, the lowest rate on record.

The decline in union membership has coincided with a rise in income inequality. Over the past three decades, as union density declined from its peak of more than 30 percent in the 1970s, the average income for the bottom 90 percent of families stayed the same, while average incomes for the wealthiest one percent nearly doubled.

In response to the continued anti-labor attacked funded by wealthy special interests, the PRO Act makes comprehensive and necessary changes to protect and strengthen workers' rights.

The PRO Act:

Introduces meaningful, enforceable penalties for companies and executives that violate workers' rights;
Protects and expands workers' power to stand together and negotiate for bigger paychecks, better benefits, and safer working conditions, and closes loopholes that corporations use to exploit workers; and
Strengthens workers' access to fair union elections and requires corporations to respect the results;
Ends right-to-work laws that undermine union operations.

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