Rep. Adams Votes to Pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams voted to pass H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The historic PRO Act will help rebuild the middle class by protecting workers' basic right to join a union, holding employers accountable for violating workers' rights and securing free, fair and safe union elections.

Video of Rep. Adams' remarks in support of the PRO Act are available on YouTube and for download.

"Workers — especially people of color — built this country and they have kept it afloat. Never has that truth been more evident than now, as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rep. Adams. "Despite their essential roles in our society, we have seen workers' rights systematically suppressed for decades, including their fundamental right to band together, to organize, and to advocate for fair treatment, for fair pay and benefits, for safe and healthy work environments, and for the respect and dignity they're due as working people, let alone the backbone of our economy. After decades of anti-worker attacks and assaults on the freedom to join a union, protecting workers' right to organize will help rebuild the middle class and improve the quality of life for workers and their families. When workers have the power to stand together and form a union, they have higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. That is why I proudly joined my colleagues to pass the historic PRO Act and safeguard every American's freedom to choose to join a union and build a brighter future for themselves and their families."

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act ensures that workers can decide for themselves whether to exercise their right to form a union. This legislation would be the most significant upgrade for workers' collective bargaining rights in more than 80 years. The PRO Act:

1. Provides new tools to protect workers from anti-union intimidation and retaliation;
2. Establishes stronger safeguards to ensure workers can hold free and fair union elections; and
3. Introduces meaningful penalties for companies ⎯ and executives ⎯ that violate workers' collective bargaining rights.

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph. D. represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee.