Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today joined 225 House members in passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, the most comprehensive pro-labor legislation in decades. H.R. 842 provides new protections for workers and holds employers who violate workers' rights accountable. Pingree was a cosponsor of this legislation in both the 116^th and 117^th Congresses.

“Even before the coronavirus pandemic, our country was already in the midst of historic income inequality. The K-shaped economic recovery we’re experiencing now will exacerbate the enormous chasm between the working class and the wealthy,” said Pingree. “Unions are needed now more than ever to collectively bargain for a livable wage, paid leave, competitive benefits, and safe working conditions. I’m proud to vote for the PRO Act, which will protect and extend the right to join a union. We can’t wait any longer to rebuild the middle class.”  

On average, a union worker earns over 11% more than a non-union worker with similar education, occupation, and experience in the same sector. Unions are among the most effective solutions for closing the wage gap between men and women workers. Workers who are represented by a union are 27% more likely to be offered health insurance through work, and nearly five times as likely to have defined-benefit pensions.

The PRO Act protects the basic right to join a union by establishing enforceable penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights, expanding collective bargaining rights, closing loopholes that corporations use to exploit workers, and strengthening workers’ access to fair union elections. Pingree voted to pass the PRO Act in the 116^th Congress.

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