The massive $3.5 trillion spending bill that is about to take center stage in Congress is so complex that if it passes, it will take years to find out what is in it, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi would say.
However, one program that it features is already well-known, as it was something that Joe Biden had to promise from the very beginning of his campaign for the presidency. Biden owes big labor for unquestioning support, and he has included a lifeline to the failing business of organized labor.
The “Protecting the Right to Organize Act” is the Pro-Act, a vital part of the Democratic spending package. The law would enlist unknowing workers as union members and extract dues from their paychecks to support politicians and policies without their consent.
Although Democrats argue that the Pro-Act only protects workers’ rights, the bill does the exact opposite. One feature of the law is that it requires employers to turn over identifying information about employees to leftist activist groups like Black Lives Matter.
The law also eliminates secret ballot voting in union elections. It uses the “card check” process to allow unions to intimidate all workers. After a majority has been pressured to sign a card indicating union formation, all workers are subjected to the union.
The sweeping provisions of the Pro-Act would also outlaw “right-to-work” laws in the 27 states where they exist.
"Under the PRO Act that right to work law would go away not just in VA but in the 27 other states that have right to work laws." This month, members of VA's biz community came together to stand against the #PROAct & thank @MarkWarner for standing up for workers & #smallbiz.👏👏 pic.twitter.com/p8rDpBt6AV
— WFI (@StopBigLabor) September 17, 2021
In addition to these compulsory features, the act also empowers unions to carry out “secondary” strikes and boycotts. Existing law permits unions to strike against employers, but not against partnered businesses or suppliers of the employer. The new law would allow for secondary strikes and boycotts. For example, service industry workers could also be compelled to target food suppliers or other contractors of their employer.
The radical provisions of the Pro-Act would disrupt the balance that has developed between labor and management over decades and would destroy local control of employment law. As part of the behemoth spending bill, it remains to be seen if the corporate media will discuss it at all.
