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Champion Labor Law Reform
When companies are allowed to engage in aggressive union busting, it hurts workers in all industries. Labor law in the United States is tilted against working people, and the federal Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act (PSFNA) are two strong steps toward leveling the playing field. Alongside other unions, the IAM can continue and escalate the push for immediate reform.
The PRO Act would safeguard free and fair union elections, create real penalties when employers violate workers’ rights, and enhance protections for workers in the midst of unionizing campaigns.353 The PSFNA would guarantee public sector workers the right to join a union, engage in collective bargaining, and sue in court to enforce their rights.354 PSFNA will also help safeguard workers against abrupt policy changes that come with new administrations, including efforts to strip roughly 50,000 federal workers–including IAM members–of their labor protections.355
The IAM can also push for pro-worker legislation at the state level. Several states have recently banned captive audience meetings that force employees to listen to anti-union rhetoric during work hours, with similar legislation pending in several others.356 State, and even municipal, laws that protect workers’ right to organize help grow union density and lay the foundation for national reform. Efforts such as these will help create a fairer environment for union organizers in clean energy industries and beyond.
352 Fong, “The Art of the Green New Deal.”
353 Murray, “RTD Can’t Seem to Overcome Its Hiring Shortages, Affecting Service.”
356 Marr, Chris, “States Advance New ‘Captive Audience’ Bans Amid Court Challenges.”