Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise today to strongly support the passage of H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, and oppose any motion to Recommit or amendment that will weaken this very important piece of legislation. In a letter to Members of Congress, Robert Martinez, Jr., the President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers writes: ``American workers approve of unions according to a Gallop poll conducted last year, and if they had the opportunity, they would choose to have labor representation. However, the right to freely form a union without the threat of company intimidation or interference is denied to workers today. The PRO act expands the enforcement powers of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and strengthens protections for employees that engage in collective action. The bill would level the playing field by prohibiting employers from requiring their employees to attend ``captive audience'' meetings whose sole purpose is to convince workers to vote against the union. In addition to imposing financial penalties on employers and individual corporate offices who violate the law, the bill would give workers the option of bringing their case to federal court. The PRO Act is a crucially bold piece of legislation that modernizes federal laws and establishes a process for mediation and arbitration to help the parties achieve a first contract.…”