Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) voted in favor of H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Kuster is a cosponsor of this legislation and supported a previous version of the bill in the 116th Congress. 

“The men and women of organized labor have improved working conditions for all Americans and helped workers exercise their rights and negotiate higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions,” said Rep. Kuster. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the existing problems in our nation’s treatment of our workforce. Workers in the Granite State and across the country deserve the right to organize and advocate for their safety and wellbeing. The PRO Act returns power to the people by strengthening the federal laws that protect workers’ rights to join a union to help rebuild America’s middle class and improve the lives of workers and their families. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation for working men and women across New Hampshire.”

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act protects the basic right to join a union by:

Empowering workers to exercise their right to organize: The bill protects workers’ First Amendment rights by removing prohibitions on workers acting in solidarity with workers at other companies. Also, the bill safeguards the right to strike by clarifying that “intermittent” strikes do not lose their legal protection, and by prohibiting companies from permanently replacing workers who participate in a strike.

Holding employers accountable for violating workers’ rights: The bill authorizes the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to assess monetary penalties for each violation in which a worker is wrongfully terminated or suffers serious economic harm. The bill also permits the Board to impose personal liability on corporate directors and officers who participate in violations of workers’ rights or have knowledge of and fail to prevent such violations.

Securing free, fair, and safe union elections: The bill prohibits employers from requiring workers to attend captive audience meetings, in which workers are forced to listen to anti-union propaganda or else face termination. If a violation takes place or the employer otherwise interferes with a free and fair union representation election where the union initially had majority support, the NLRB will be empowered to issue an order that requires the employer to bargain with the union.

Rep. Kuster has been a strong advocate for worker’s rights throughout her time in Congress. Last year, she helped pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that established a pregnant worker’s clear-cut right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Last Congress, Kuster successfully helped EPA workers in New Hampshire renegotiate their contract.

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