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Workers

Nationwide Right to Unionize Act: A Response to Trump's Attacks on Workers' Rights

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Washington D.C. - In response to the Trump administration's unprecedented attacks on workers' rights, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Brad Sherman have reintroduced the Nationwide Right to Unionize Act, a legislation aimed at supporting the right to unionize by invalidating right-to-work laws. Since January, the Trump administration has stripped federal workers of their right to unionize and expanded overtime protections in court. Additionally, 28 states have enacted right-to-work laws, making it more difficult for workers to form unions and fight for better wages and working conditions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Nationwide Right to Unionize Act aims to support the right to unionize by invalidating right-to-work laws, which make it more difficult for workers to form unions and negotiate better wages and working conditions.
  • The legislation would repeal state right-to-work laws, which ban union security and fair share agreements, and would protect American workers' right to organize and negotiate for better wages and working conditions.
  • The bill was originally introduced in 2017 as the Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act and was reintroduced in 2020 as the Nationwide Right to Unionize Act.
  • The legislation has 14 cosponsors in the Senate, including Senators Tammy Baldwin, Richard Blumenthal, and Cory Booker, and 22 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, including Representatives Stephen Lynch and Jamie Raskin.
  • The bill has received support from 11 advocacy and expert organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Economic Policy Institute.
  • Senator Warren has been an outspoken advocate for union workers' rights and has fought to protect workers' rights and hardworking families.
  • The reintroduction of the Nationwide Right to Unionize Act is a response to the Trump administration's attacks on workers' rights, including stripping federal workers of their right to unionize and expanding overtime protections in court.
  • The legislation aims to rebuild the middle class and protect workers' rights to negotiate better wages and working conditions.

Statistics:

  • 28 states have enacted right-to-work laws, which make it more difficult for workers to form unions and negotiate better wages and working conditions.
  • The number of unionized workers in the United States has decreased by 5% since the enactment of right-to-work laws.
  • The average decrease in wages for all full-time workers due to right-to-work laws is approximately $11,000 per year.

Sources:

  • Representative Brad Sherman's office
  • Senator Elizabeth Warren's office
  • AFL-CIO
  • Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • International Brotherhood of Teamsters
  • United Steelworkers
  • Transport Workers Union of America
  • Communications Workers of America Union
  • International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
  • International Association of Machinists
  • Economic Policy Institute
  • National Employment Law Project

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