House approves contested PRO Act

The House of Representatives has passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act by a vote of 225-206. 

Both the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) have said they are opposed to the legislation.

According to the NLBMDA, the PRO Act contains over 30 different proposals to change federal labor laws and would drastically alter the landscape of labor relations between employers and workers. 

The bill now moves to the Senate. But without any changes to the Senate filibuster, Democrats would need to secure 60 votes to ultimately pass the bill and they appear to be short of that number as of now, the NLBMDA reported.

NLBMDA recently signed a letter to Congress with over 240 organizations expressing our concerns with the legislation and asking Congress to vote it down. NLBMDA members who have not yet contacted their Senators are encouraged to do so by utilizing the Grassroots Action Center.

Here is a summary of the major provisions included in the PRO Act as outlined by the NLBMDA:

• Institute “card check” for union certification;
• Roll back state “right-to-work” laws;
• Change independent contractor classification;
• Expand “joint employer” definition;
• Limit the ability of employers to contest union election petitions;
• Mandate binding arbitration upon employers and unions for two years when negotiating a first contract;
• Restrict the ability of employers to obtain labor relations advice;
• Facilitate union organizing in micro-units; and
• Give employees the right to utilize employer electronic systems to organize and engage in protected concerted activity.

To see how your House member voted on the PRO Act click here. The bill text can be found here, a short summary here, and a section-by-section summary here.