Posts tagged Democrats
House Panel Approves Bills Favorable to Management, Restrictive of Unions
March 27, 2025 // The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has passed a bill (HR-2249) to allow an incoming President to disavow any existing collective bargaining agreements with unions representing federal employees. This bill would also make unenforceable a contract provision that the President consider or an agency considers in conflict with a newly issued executive order or presidential memorandum, or agency guidance to carry one out.
Lawmakers propose banning all federal labor unions
March 17, 2025 // “This legislation would end federal labor unions and immediately terminate their collective bargaining agreements to ensure the federal government is working on behalf of the American people – not labor unions – by increasing the productivity of its workforce,” Blackburn said in a statement. If passed, the bill would affect 25% of the federal employee workforce who are members of public sector unions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
BACKGROUNDER: Senator Hawley’s PRO Act Lite
March 14, 2025 // Senator Josh Hawley’s proposed “framework” for reforming America’s private-sector labor law is, in reality, a repackaged and slimmed down version of the radical left’s Protecting the Right to Organize (“PRO”) Act and Warehouse Worker Protection Act (“WWPA”). Instead of proposing meaningful reforms to protect the American Worker—by leveling the playing field between unions and business—it does the opposite at every turn. This “Pro Act Lite” may be a slimmed down version of Big Labor’s original, but it still packs the same harmful consequences.
Opinion: Congress Must Oppose Big Labor’s “PRO Act” Power Grab
March 14, 2025 // In the 2024 election cycle, labor unions gave nearly 90 percent of their political donations to Democratic Party candidates. For large unions like the National Education Association (NEA), as much as 99 percent of political donations went to Democrats. The PRO Act is a return on investment for the hundreds of millions of dollars that union bosses continue to pour into Democrat coffers.
Commentary: Freelance Busting: The Ratio Reality
March 11, 2025 // Democrats, led by Senate and House Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, just reintroduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act. Named for a former head of the AFL-CIO, this bill, H.R. 20, does the same thing that California Governor Gavin Newsom claimed AB5 would do. The PRO Act aims to reclassify independent contractors as employees as a way to empower union organizers. As Jeffries put it in Congress: “When our unions are strong, the United States of America is strong.” Republicans, led by Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, put forward the Modern Worker Empowerment Act. This bill, H.R. 1319, aims to stop California’s experiment from spreading. It would protect everyone’s freedom to be our own bosses. As Kiley put it: “California’s disastrous AB5 law wreaked havoc on independent workers, stripping them of their ability to work on their own terms and forcing businesses to cut off contractor relationships. Shifting federal regulations threaten to impose similar uncertainty nationwide, putting millions of workers at risk.”
Senate confirms Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Labor secretary
March 11, 2025 // “The American people demand and deserve change after four years of economic heartache under the ‘most pro-union administration in American history.’ Unfortunately, Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s record pushing policies that force hardworking Americans into union membership suggests more of the same,” McConnell said. “Most Americans believe joining a union should be a personal choice – not a mandate – which is why more than half the states, including Kentucky, have adopted right-to-work laws.”
Union contracts should not protect drunken teachers
March 6, 2025 // The Bay City union contract spelled out the process: A teacher’s first offense resulted in a written reprimand and the teacher was required to go through counseling. The second offense resulted in a three-day suspension without pay and mandatory counseling. Third offense: a five-day suspension without pay and mandatory counseling. Fourth offense: a 10-day suspension without pay and mandatory counseling. Only upon the fifth offense could the district fire the teacher. It gets worse. A teacher using illegal drugs at school got three strikes before she could be fired. Even teachers caught selling drugs could not be fired until their second offense.
Commentary ABC: PRO Act Reintroduction Is a Ruse To Appease Union Bosses
March 6, 2025 // “The reintroduction of the PRO Act displays continued disregard for the livelihoods of small business owners, employees and independent contractors,” said Swearingen. “While Congress has long rejected the PRO Act and its provisions, these legislators continue to pursue failed policies and attack business models and fundamental freedoms that have fueled entrepreneurship, job creation and opportunity for the American worker. “The PRO Act and its harmful provisions would have a devastating impact on the U.S. construction industry and cause significant harm to the nation’s economy,” said Swearingen. “Further, the bill’s provisions would significantly raise economic costs for the nation’s 27 right-to-work states in an effort to increase union power at the expense of worker freedoms and small businesses.”
Opinion: Unions fight Trump to the detriment of workers they’re supposed to represent
February 24, 2025 // These unions are bargaining with the federal government over the height of cubicle desk panels. They’re demanding smoking areas on federal properties where smoking is banned. And government unions are even negotiating over workers’ right to wear spandex in the office. Is that really why workers join a union? To protect their ability to smoke and wear yoga pants? And every time unions negotiate over these things, taxpayers get hit, because they’re paying for the bureaucrats who have to sit at the bargaining table to negotiate for things like the right to wear spandex.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: ‘Right-to-work’ bill voted down once again
February 17, 2025 // "This bill is not anti-union, it is pro-worker," said Creighton, who pointed out it remains part of the state GOP platform. "This is vital to fair employment practices. Workers and employers should have the option to negotiate their own agreements. We owe it to our constituents to hear these arguments." Rep. Daniel Popovici-Muller, R-Windham, authored the bill and said it would be a "win-win" for the state, allowing employees to avoid having to financially support unions. "Many union members are unhappy with the performance of union managers, but have no option to air those grievances," Popovici-Muller said.