Brown Urges Colleagues To Pass The PRO Act
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today hosted a news conference call to promote the passage of his Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would protect workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain.
"The PRO Act would finally give workers a fighting chance against corporate union-busting tactics," said Brown. "Unions are all about the Dignity of Work -- they give workers a voice in their workplace, and empower people to build careers and build better lives for their families."
Brown was joined on the call by Tomeka Cooley-Pettus, a Dayton-area union worker who retired from AT&T after more than 14 years. Cooley-Pettus now helps organizing efforts across the country.
"Being in a union provided me and my family with good health benefits, a pension and guaranteed raises that weren't based on whether a manager liked you or not," said Cooley-Pettus. "Because of the opportunities a union gave me, I've dedicated the rest of my career to helping others get voices in their workplaces. The PRO Act would alleviate hardcore anti-union campaigns many Americans currently face."
Tomorrow at 10 a.m., Ohioan Gracie Heldman, from Pandora, is set to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee about her experience trying to form a union at the Consolidated Biscuit Company in McComb.
The PRO Act would help level the playing field and give workers a fighting chance when organizing. Brown has championed the rights of workers to organize and negotiate for better wages and working conditions for years, and reintroduced the PRO Act earlier this year.
The PRO Act would:
Improve remedies for workers and punish companies that violate worker rights.
Strengthen workers' rights to join and negotiate for better working conditions.
Restore fairness to an economy rigged against workers by closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the PRO Act will be livestreamed and will be available here.
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