MSCI Signs Letter Opposing PRO Act And Asks Members To Join The Fight

Last week, U.S. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) confirmed that portions of the Protection the Right to Organize (PRO) Act will be included in Senate Democrats’ soon-to-be-released budget reconciliation proposal. At minimum, Sen. Sanders will include the PRO Act’s provision that allows for civil penalties on companies that have been found to commit labor violations. (Read more on the PRO Act’s proposed civil penalties here.)

Last week, MSCI joined more than 280 organizations in sending a letter to members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions asking that they oppose the PRO Act. The letter, available here, warned, “The PRO Act would also destabilize US industrial operations and the economy and threaten supply chains by reversing current bans on intermittent strikes and secondary boycotts.”

As Connecting the Dots has reported several times over the last few months, the PRO Act also would:

• Effectively overturn right-to-work laws in 27 states;
• Allow the firing of workers who opt out of paying unwanted union dues;
• Strip independent contractors of flexible work arrangements and kill earning opportunities; and
• Abolish secret ballots and threaten worker privacy in favor of “card check” voting, where union organizers demand that individual workers publicly sign a card in favor of the union.

A reconciliation bill needs just 51 votes to pass the Senate, rather than the customary 60. That is why MSCI continues to urge its members to let their representatives in Washington know that industrial metals sector opposes this legislation. There are several ways to weigh in, including:

• Using this link from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to send an email to senators;
• Writing a letter to senators using this one from NAM as a template;
• Using the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) a grassroots toolkit, which includes a fact sheet explaining the bill, a video outlining its provisions, and a sample letter for individuals to send to members of Congress; and
• Accessing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s one-click advocacy tool to weigh in on social media and use this portal to send a message to U.S. senators.