FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts on behalf of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
Ryan Kekeris, 410-564-5884, rkekeris@iupat.org
Tonight, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The PRO Act, when it’s signed into law, will be the first national labor law reform in nearly a century to expand the rights of workers. The House passage of the PRO Act is a victory for our union which has been spearheading a campaign to pass the bill since November. Through our organizing, we built a coalition of over a hundred unions, dozens of state labor federations, and brought together racial justice organizations, environmental justice organizations, LGBTQ rights organizations, veterans organizations, women’s rights organizations and more because their fight in our fight and we demand the passage of the PRO Act.
The PRO Act is a critical fight for all of our rights. Fundamental rights like the right to freedom of speech in the workplace and freedom of association which are virtually non-existent today for most workers. Collective bargaining is a critical tool to ensuring gender and racial equity and increasing protections for marginalized communities.
Since the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 we have seen an 85 year assault on the rights of working people. The PRO Act finally offers an opportunity to turn the tide and level the playing field for workers who want to exercise their freedom to collectively bargain.
From the beginning of our campaign, we’ve said, “It’s time to find out which side they’re on.”
Tonight, we found out who is on our side and who isn’t on the policy that’s by far the most popular with our membership and is our top priority as a union.
Remember these names and where your elected representative stands. Our union has pledged to not offer any financial or organizational support to politicians who don’t support us on our top priority and we hope other unions and non-labor organizations do the same to both those who voted against the PRO Act in the House and those who won’t stand with us in the Senate.
We will fight like hell to get this passed in the Senate. It will require a historic social movement to win this fight and we are doing everything we can to play our part in its formation. We need to take this fight for the PRO Act into our states, into our communities, into our job sites, and into our streets.
This fight for labor law reform is a fight for all of us and the future we want to see. Do not let the day come where our kids and grandkids ask us what a union was. While the rich and powerful would like nothing more than for that to happen, we need to organize and mobilize all across the country to expand the rights of workers so future generations can live the tremendous benefits of collective bargaining.
Our future is yet unwritten. In the coming months, we have a chance to play a part in shaping our future and making history. Let’s seize the moment, together, and win the future we deserve by ensuring the passage of the PRO Act.
THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES (IUPAT)
Represents a growing community of over 110,000 active and retired craftspeople in the United States and Canada. The IUPAT membership extends far beyond the workplace. Recognized as one of the most active unions in the labor movement, IUPAT members help shape their communities in many ways: through an abiding commitment to service, by fighting passionately for workers’ rights that benefit all working families, and through effective worker education and mobilization. Visit www.iupat.org to learn more.
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