Rep. Himes statement on the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act:
“Today’s vote is a historic step forward for the labor movement. After fighting against bad policies for years, the PRO Act gives workers a shot to organize without fear of punishment. With fair representation and negotiating power, employees will have more authority to collectively bargain for better pay, better working conditions, better retirement benefits, and better healthcare. I’m proud that Democrats are tackling big problems so that families everywhere can have an honest chance at success.
“It’s also important to keep looking ahead. With a diverse and changing modern economy we must support ways to grow the middle class and protect and enhance the social safety net and workplace conditions while ensuring that income-supplementing alternative work arrangements, like flexible gig economy jobs, continue to grow. We need to remember that technology has transformed huge sectors of our economy; therefore, we must find creative ways to provide benefits to workers in temporary or freelance jobs. I’m excited to learn how we can modernize our social safety net while preserving the freedom in the gig-economy that so many people rely on.”