LCLAA Applauds Efforts Led in the House of Representatives in Passing the PRO Act and Calls on the Senate to Follow Suit
MEDIA STATEMENT
Friday, March 12, 2021
Contact: Andrea Arenas / 202-316-1212
Washington D.C.- This week the House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), aimed at guaranteeing workers’ the right to fully exercise their freedom to organize and bargain collectively. The ProAct is the most significant worker empowerment piece of legislation since the Great Depression. It would guarantee the protection of workers’ rights and enable workers to rebuild our nation’s economy fairly and grow our labor movement.
Latinos and immigrants make up almost 17 percent of America’s workforce. These women and men are commonly affected by poor working conditions, and even by laws that allow children as young as 12 years to work in the fields. The Pro Act will help transform the lives of underserved communities, by protecting, defending, and promoting unionization, as well as recognizing the essential role it plays in the country’s efforts towards a fair and inclusive society. (Read more about the Workers’ First Agenda.)
LCLAA joins AFL-CIO’s President Richard Trumka, and President Biden, in encouraging Senators in both parties to send the PRO- Act back to the Oval Office so that a signature can turn this consequential piece of legislation into a reality for scores of working families.
“Passing this bill needs to be the Senate’s priority. The nation’s workers need protections, they need contracts, and a dignified life! The Pro-Act is critical in correcting wage and wealth disparities, and helping working families get back on their feet,”said Yanira Merino, LCLAA National President. “I am encouraged by the efforts led by AFL-CIO’s President Richard Trumka, who has reiterated the need for the country’s economy to work for the working people.”
“The PRO-Act is one of the quickest and most efficient avenues towards providing our nation’s workforce with a voice that can help them and their families advance and prosper,” said Jose Vargas, LCLAA Executive Director. “I am excited to see that this administration is delivering on its campaign promises through this pro-labor agenda that has the potential of empowering our workforce.”
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The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is the leading national organization for Latino(a) workers and their families. LCLAA was born in 1972 out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. LCLAA represents the interest of more than 2 million Latino workers in the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), The Change to Win Federation, Independent Unions and all its membership. Visit LCLAA on the web at www.lclaa.org, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.