Union Power is Diminishing

Floor Speech

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Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the PRO Act.

My family's story is an American one. A union one. It is the story of how a good-paying union job gave a family of immigrants and first- generation Americans a pathway out of poverty and into the middle class.

Sadly, stories like mine are harder to find these days. Unions have seen their power diminished as the American Dream grows further and further out of reach for the average working family. That is why I am so proud to be an original cosponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act because it is time to make that dream a reality again.

The PRO Act will empower Oregonians and all Americans to exercise their right to organize, hold employers accountable for violating their rights, and participate in free and fair union elections.

This landmark legislation will go a long way toward protecting the most vulnerable workers who courageously showed up for their communities even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From teachers to nurses to home care workers, these people--many of whom are women and women of color--are everyday heroes, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

In 2022, America's unionization rate fell to its lowest on record, but in Oregon, we reached new heights.

Our State is home to 318,000 proud unionized workers, making up about 18 percent of our workforce. In fact, we are now the fourth most unionized State in America, something I know Oregonians and we all should be proud of.

In the face of record-breaking corporate profits and a growing wealth gap, workers in Oregon have united to champion a deeply American cause: economic opportunity for all.

From Starbucks to Fred Meyer, Nabisco to Burgerville, working Oregonians from all walks of life are coming together to say we have had enough. We have had enough of corporate greed and union busting. We have had enough of wage stagnation and dangerous work environments. We have had enough of fighting tooth and nail for the benefits that we deserve. We have had enough.

Now, the burden falls on us. As lawmakers, we have a duty to answer the rising call for change. We have a duty to not only protect good- paying jobs but to expand that opportunity for everyone because, at the end of the day, America is only as strong as its middle class.

Let's pass the PRO Act and show the world how strong we really are.

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