Mark Pocan: “As one of the few union members in Congress, let me tell you that the benefits that workers and families earn from being…”

“As one of the few union members in Congress, let me tell you that the benefits that workers and families earn from being in a union are significant. Workers in a union make almost $10,000 more per year, and 70 percent of workers in a union have a pension plan compared to just 13 percent of nonunion workers. The problem is there have been decades-long coordinated attacks on workers' rights to join or form a union. It is time to make it easier for workers to have a voice in their workplace, and we have got some work to do. There are laws that make it harder to organize, and employees involved in organizing face barriers, including a one-in-five chance of getting fired. Even when workers do form a union, employers refuse to bargain, and more than half of the unions don't get a collective bargaining agreement within a year. If you vote to form a union, you should have one and get a contract. If you are an employee, you shouldn't be misclassified as an independent contractor. And if an employer violates your labor rights, they shouldn't be let off the hook. I am proud to support workers' rights, and I am proud to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.”