On February 23, members of Congress reintroduced the PRO Act, an ambitious attempt to overturn decades of federal labor policy that threatens both union and open-shop contractors.

On February 23, the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act was reintroduced in Congress. AGC released a statement after its introduction: Reintroduction Of The Pro Act Proves That Bad Ideas Never Die, As Members Of Congress Push A Measure That Will Harm The Economy.

The bill is the AFL-CIO’s ambitious attempt to overturn decades of federal labor policy. Despite its name, the PRO Act does much more than protect an employee’s right to organize and engage in collective bargaining. In fact, the PRO Act would expand the economic weapons available to unions at the bargaining table, at the workplace, and beyond. The proposed legislation also contains provisions that are of particular concern to union contractors and those concerns were discussed in detail in a 2021 AGC analysis.

AGC successfully blocked the legislation from becoming law in the previous Congress, where it passed the House and had 47 senators endorse it. The threat for enactment was real, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tried, but failed to eliminate the filibuster (60 vote threshold to pass legislation). Now, with a Republican House of Representatives, the PRO Act is unlikely to pass either chamber of Congress. Nevertheless, AGC will continue to fight any effort to advance this bill.