FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 7, 2020
PHOENIX, State Capitol - Rep. Richard Andrade today praised passage of a comprehensive package of protections for union workers around the country this week in the US House of Represenattives. The Democratic-sponsored Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) passed on Thursday but faces a tough fight in the Republican-controlled Senate. Andrade, a longtime unvion railroad engineer, said the bill makes it easier for workers to join unions, and strenghtens workplace protections, which in turn strengths the American middle class.
"As a Union member, this was very important to me and my Union brothers and sisters," said Andrade, D-Phoenix. "All workers have the right to a livable wage, affordable healthcare, a pension which does not rley on government assistance, as well as other benefits such as paid sick time and vacations."
The PRO Act is a top priority of national labor members and leaders, even in so-called "right to work" states like Arizona.
"'Right to work' means the right to work for less," Andrade said. "This measure would amend some of the country's decades-old labor lays to give workers more power during disputes at work, add penalties for companies that retaliate against workers who organize, and grant hundreds of thousands of workers collective-bargaining rights that they do not currently have.