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Sponsor Testimony - HCR 16, House Commerce and Labor Committee (Representatives Blair and Kelly)

Summary

Sponsor testimony on HCR 16 from State Representatives Gil Blair and Brigid Kelly to the House Commerce and Labor Committee, urging the Congress to enact the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019. It states that the PRO Act would strengthen protections for workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. The testimony lists protections in the legislation, including penalties for violations of workers' rights, prevention of interference in union elections, and prevention of misclassification of employees. It asks the committee to support the legislation and refers to an attached chart from an Economic Policy Institute report.

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“Sponsor Testimony - HCR 16, House Commerce and Labor Committee (Representatives Blair and Kelly).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2020-12-02-commerce-labor-testimony-testimony-12788-d794a6cd28/, SHA-256 4e423050dedf89e3792f8cb2690e0352a4fc26479ceffd43b6cd0b6f67ff952c.

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                                            State Representatives Gil Blair and Brigid Kelly

Chair Manning, Vice Chair Dean, Ranking Member Lepore-Hagan, and members of the House Commerce and Labor
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide sponsor testimony on HCR 16 to urge the Congress to enact the
Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019.

The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2019 – which has been introduced and passed the US House1 and has
also been introduced in the Senate2 – would strengthen protections for workers’ rights to organize and collectively bargain
for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions.

Research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities3 found that in Ohio, during the time frame from 1979-2016, the
income change for the top 1% of households in our state increased by 74%. For everyone else, it was 4% less.
Hardworking people in our state provide essential services that power our community every day, often for low pay,
sometimes with no health care benefits, and often with erratic and unpredictable schedules. Many hardworking Ohioans
patch together more than one job not just to get ahead, but to simply to try and get by. And now, in the midst of a global
health crisis, it is even more important that they have the ability to come together to form and join their unions to
negotiate over pay, benefits, and work rules. They should not have to fear retaliation, or even losing their jobs, for trying
to create a better place to work. People have earned and deserve the opportunity to truly have a free and fair opportunity to
weigh in on the important work they do every day.

It is critical that the Ohio General Assembly express strong support for passage of these historic federal efforts to restore
fairness to our economy. The Pro Act legislation includes the following protections for workers:
• Meaningful penalties for violations of workers’ rights;
• Support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights;
• Authorization for a private right of action for violations of workers’ rights;
• Prevention of interference in union elections;
• Enhancements for workers’ rights to strike for basic workplace improvements, including higher wages and better
     working conditions;
• Safeguards for workers’ access to justice;
• Authorization for unions and employers to negotiate agreements that allow unions to collect fair-share fees that cover
     the costs of representation;
• Mediation and arbitration processes to ensure employers and newly formed unions reach a first contract;
• Prevention of misclassification of employees; and
• Increased transparency in labor-management relations by posting notices that inform workers of their rights under the
     National Labor Relations Act.

You can see in the attached chart, part of the Economic Policy Institute report on “Why unions are good for workers—
especially in a crisis like COVID-194,” how the PRO Act will address existing loopholes and shortcomings in labor and
employment law, and create a more level playing field for workers who want to form their unions.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide testimony and ask your support of this legislation to support better lives and
more secure futures for workers and middle class families in our state.




1 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2474
2 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1306
3 https://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/12-15-16sfp-factsheet-ohio.pdf
4 https://www.epi.org/publication/why-unions-are-good-for-workers-especially-in-a-crisis-like-covid-19-12-policies-that-would-boost-worker-rights-safety-and-

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