EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Dan Bishop Introduces ‘Right To Work’ Resolution To Combat Union Requirements

Republican North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop will introduce a resolution Friday opposing provisions in the PRO Act and budget reconciliation package that would allow the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to issue fines.

The resolution, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller, calls on Congress to “not repeal State right-to-work laws by enacting the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, provisions in the American Jobs Act, or any other measure.” The PRO Act passed the House of Representatives in March, and a key provision of the legislation is part of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package that left-wing Democrats are pushing. That provision would allow the NLRB to levy civil fines on employers. (RELATED: Here’s How The PRO Act Forces Workers Into Joining Unions, Paying Dues)

Currently, the NLRB may not impose fines on employers. It can only order back-pay for wrongfully-terminated employees, and employers to hang posters and provide literature about unions.

The PRO Act eliminates union elections conducted by secret ballot, requires non-union members to pay union dues, and curtails the ability of workers to define themselves as independent contractors.

In contrast, right-to-work laws prohibit unions from collecting mandatory dues from non-members.

The Institute for the American Worker estimates that the PRO Act would increase union dues collection from $11 billion to $20 billion annually. As a result, unions have lobbied aggressively for its passage.

The Supreme Court ruled in the 2018 case Janus v. AFSCME that mandatory union collection provisions violate the First Amendment rights of public sector employees, but did not rule on the rights of private-sector employees.

In the 27 states that have right-to-work laws, “private sector employment grew by 27 percent … between 2001 and 2016 … compared to 15 percent” in the 23 states that do not have right-to-work, according to the resolution. In addition, in the right-to-work states, personal income rose 39% between 2001-2016, compared to 26% in the non-right-to-work states, according to the resolution.

“Workers should be free to do their jobs without having to pay for Democrat political causes. Right to Work laws are the ultimate safeguard against this, and it’s why 27 states have implemented them,” Bishop told the Daily Caller. “Democrats’ $3.5 trillion Bernie spending spree coming up is bad enough on its own. Their attempt to slip in rules to force unionization for workers in Right to Work states shouldn’t see the light of day.”

Labor unions spent $1.8 billion during the 2020 election cycle, with $791 million going directly to candidates. The AFL-CIO, National Education Association, the Service Employees International Union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters all endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden.

Read the resolution here:

Dan Bishop Right to Work by Michael Ginsberg