​Legislative Updates Pertaining to Workers

​
​Protecting the Right to Organize Act
Last week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that the House will consider the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act during the week of March 8. The PRO Act, which passed in the House by a largely party-line vote in 2020, currently has 209 cosponsors, including three Republicans. Among others provisions, the controversial bill would:

---

• Effectively ban state right-to-work laws by permitting “fair share” fees
• Adopt the ABC test for independent contractors
• Codify the Obama-era joint employment, ambush election, and persuader rules
• Reverse the Supreme Court’s recent Epic Systems decision upholding class action waivers in arbitration agreements
• Permit greatly expanded damages and civil penalties
• Allow for a backdoor card-check route in instances where a “violation” has occurred

 
Minimum Wage Update
The $15 minimum wage hike proposed in President Biden’s relief bill could not be included in the package if it were to pass under budget reconciliation rules. Senators Mitt Romney (UT) and Tom Cotton (AR) released their own proposal, the Higher Wages for American Workers Act. Under this plan, the federal minimum wage would be raised incrementally to $10 by 2025, and then adjusted for inflation every two years after that. The plan would also have a slower phase-in of the $10 minimum wage for small businesses and would require all employers to use the E-Verify employment authorization system.
 
Unemployment Benefit Claims Fall to 3-Month Low
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that unemployment benefit claims fell to a three-month low.