Biden attempts to tie PRO union act with infrastructure spending bill

Progressives push union agenda

In a move I believe will fail, Democrats Tie Infrastructure Package to the PRO Act.

Progressives, labor unions and the business community are squaring off over the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. The bill would make it easier for gig workers and other independent contractors to unionize and set an enforceable timeline for union-employer negotiations to commence. It would also undercut states’ “right to work” laws by allowing unions to collect dues from workers who opted out.

The path of the union bill is hazy as Congress starts to transform Mr. Biden’s outline into legislation. The labor proposal doesn’t square with Senate rules on what sort of legislation can typically be advanced with just a simple majority; most Republicans oppose it and several Democrats in the 50-50 chamber have remained noncommittal in their stance.

“The president supports the PRO Act and wants to see it passed in its entirety,” the official said. Tim Schlittner, communications director for the AFL-CIO, said removing the act from the emerging legislation would be a mistake.

Passage not likely 

Passage is unlikely because Democrats cannot advance the bill in the Senate under budget reconciliation rules. 

And if not, Republicans would kill the measure with a filibuster. Moreover, it's not clear if the Democrats even have 50 votes.

The PRO Act was approved by the House last month, 225-206, with the support of nearly all Democrats and five Republicans. 

Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D., Ariz.) haven’t not yet expressed support. 

If one of them decided against then Democrats would need at least one Republican to vote aye. 

Democrats once again have their eyes on changing filibuster riles, but even then it is not clear they have 50 votes for the PRO Act.

Finally, both Manchin and Sinema are between unlikely and highly unlikely to change the filibuster rules.

Right to work

I fully support right-to-work laws and hope the Supreme Court takes up a case. 

In Janus vs. AFSCME (2018), the Supreme Court correctly dealt a huge blow to forced membership in unions.

By a 5-to-4 vote, with the more conservative justices in the majority, the court ruled that government workers who choose not to join unions may not be required to help pay for collective bargaining.

End run around Janus

As an end run around Janus, Democrats seek to force everyone to join a union. 

I believe that is unconstitutional.

I hope for a broader Supreme Court test, mandating right-to-work across the board.

Lost opportunity

Trump had a chance in the first two years to pass national right-to-work legislation. 

Instead, he wasted two years messing with killing Obamacare entirely, something he was never going to have enough votes for.

Public unions ought to be illegal

I salute Ronald Reagan for firing all the PATCO workers when they attempted to shut down air traffic.

Public unions protect bad cops, bad teachers, even pedophiles.