Guest column: The PRO Act is a huge blow to American workers’ freedom and privacy

Prior to serving in Congress, I spent 37 years building and operating a small business, so I know firsthand how federal policies impact employers and employees. I’m excited to continue utilizing my business experience as the Republican leader on the House Education and Labor Committee’s Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee for the 117th Congress.

In this new role, I plan to lead my fellow Republicans on the subcommittee in the fight against bureaucratic overreach that too often obstructs employers' ability to create jobs and hurts Americans who just want to earn a paycheck, provide for their families and save for retirement.

Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues don’t share these goals, as demonstrated by their recent passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, one of the most radical, anti-worker bills I’ve seen during my tenure in Congress.

The PRO Act is nothing more than a union boss wish list that grants union leaders more unchecked power at the expense of workers. Some of the most troubling provisions include making it mandatory for employers to give union leaders an employee’s personal information without first getting the employee’s consent, eliminating secret ballot elections – opening the door to retribution if an employee doesn’t support a certain candidate – and overturning right-to-work laws in 27 states, including Georgia.

One of the reasons Georgia’s economy has prospered and been named the best state to do business over the past eight years is because of our right-to-work laws. Right-to-work laws protect against forced unionization. Now Democrats and big union bosses want to eliminate states’ rights and force workers to pay for representation they may not want or on union activities they don’t agree with. This is un-American – every worker should have control over their earnings and how they spend them.

I introduced an amendment to strike the provision banning right-to-work laws, but Democrats blocked it. In fact, I introduced a total of five amendments that would put workers first, but Democrats only allowed one to be considered on the House floor.

It’s clear to see the pay for play politics at work here. From 2010 to 2018, unions sent more than $1.6 billion in member dues to hundreds of left-wing groups like Planned Parenthood, the Clinton Foundation, and the Progressive Democrats of America, instead of spending that money on worker representation!

Union bosses have seen the sharp decline in union participation over the last 60 years and are now relying on their congressional Democratic allies to line their pockets by passing this radical proposal.

While I would have appreciated the opportunity to debate and amend this bill in the HELP Subcommittee, the Democrats bypassed regular order to get it done quickly so their union boss friends can spend union dues on advancing the far-left’s political agenda. (So much for unity!)

As Kevin Kuhlman, vice president of federal government relations for the National Federation of Independent Business, wrote in a letter to House Education and Labor Committee leadership in February, “The PRO Act of 2021 contains radical policy proposals that are not only opposed by small business owners but have been dismissed in the courts and rejected by Congress for decades. At a time when 15% of small businesses may not survive another six months, Congress should not be passing extreme anti-small business legislation like the PRO Act of 2021.”

The PRO Act is a huge blow to American workers’ freedom and privacy, and we must ensure that it never sees the light of day over in the Senate.

Rick Allen has represented Georgia’s 12th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015.