2021 Convention Resolution in Support of PRO Act

ND AFL-CIO 62nd Convention
A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT H.R. 842:
PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE (PRO) ACT OF 2021

WHEREAS:    There is an imbalance of power in our economy, where wealthy CEO’s and their corporations reap record profits and bonuses while the working people who create those profits fall further behind; and

WHEREAS:     When workers join a union or organize a new one, they are demonstrating the power of collective action as a countervailing force for the benefit of their interests as working people, and

WHEREAS:     Workers are organizing, mobilizing, protesting and striking at levels of intensity not seen in our labor movement for decades, and

WHEREAS:     Current labor law gives employers too much power to impede workers trying to organize with their co-workers; and

WHEREAS:     House Resolution 842: Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021 will remove many of these barriers to organizing, and make it easier for workers to join together in unions and negotiate a first contract; and

WHEREAS:     The PRO Act will increase penalties and speed up remedies when employers interfere with workers’ rights; and

WHEREAS:     The PRO Act will streamline the NLRB election process, increasing the election speed and decreasing company interference by prohibiting mandatory anti-union company meetings; and

WHEREAS:     The PRO Act will protect strike and protest activity that gives workers the economic leverage by allowing secondary boycotts and prohibiting companies from hiring permanent replacement workers during strikes; and     

WHEREAS:     The PRO Act will narrow the definition of independent contractors and             supervisors to eliminate employee misclassifications, a common tactic used by many employers to avoid NLRA protections, such as the right to organize; and

WHEREAS:     The PRO Act will define a process for reaching a first contract, including          mediation and binding arbitration, and a fair-share clause, even in so-called “Right-to-Work” jurisdictions; and therefore be it

RESOLVED:    The North Dakota AFL-CIO will publicly extend our support for H.R. 842: Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021, educate our affiliate members, leadership and general public on the importance of this act, and heartily advocate for the passage of the act in all relevant political arenas.