OPINION:
Who says Congress does nothing? The House of Representatives just proved otherwise, voting on a bipartisan basis to pass a labor reform bill to protect workers.
This welcome news ought to build momentum for a slew of other labor reforms that workers need and deserve.
On Sept. 16, the House passed the Ending Predator Access to Union Power Act introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican. This bill, which previously passed the committee unanimously, closes a loophole recently identified by the House Education and Workforce Committee, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg, Michigan Republican.
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The committee found that a Service Employees International Union local chapter had hired a convicted child molester for a senior leadership role, even though federal law prevents the hiring of union leaders who have committed such crimes.
Although the local represents janitors, the committee noted that other SEIU locals represent “public service employees who work closely with children, including public school employees, bus drivers, and child care providers.”
The Ending Predator Access to Union Power Act prevents unions from hiring convicted child molesters. Workers do not want their unions to undermine their credibility by giving power to such people. Nor do they want convicted child molesters to have access to their personal information, including their address, which unions obtain through membership lists and organizing campaigns.
As Mr. Walberg rightly notes, this reform “upholds union integrity” and will help prevent unions from “undermin[ing] their own credibility at the bargaining table and erod[ing] public trust in the union.” Workers deserve better.
This bill now has a strong chance of passage in the Senate, especially given its unanimous committee support in the House.
Why should Congress stop with this one labor reform bill? Many other labor reforms are not only unobjectionable but also deserving of bipartisan, even unanimous, support.
A case in point is the Protection on the Picket Line Act, authored by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Alabama Republican. The bill closes a loophole that allows union organizers or supporters to harass workers with sexist and racist insults.
Such verbal attacks are illegal under federal civil rights law, but the National Labor Relations Board had green-lit this offensive conduct — so long as it happened during union organizing.
The NLRB reversed that policy on Sept. 23, but a future board could just as easily bring it back. Congress can close this loophole for good, and it is reasonable to expect every senator and representative to vote in favor of banning racist and sexist attacks in the workplace. Workers deserve this basic protection.
Another unobjectionable pro-worker reform is the Union Members’ Right to Know Act, introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, North Carolina Republican. It would require unions to provide those they represent with copies of their collective bargaining agreements, constitutions and bylaws, giving workers transparency that is not currently guaranteed by law.
Every member of Congress should find it easy to support giving workers visibility on the documents that dictate how their own workplaces operate.
Finally, there is the Fairness in Filing Act, also authored by Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican. This bill would block unions and businesses from filing baseless unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB. Such charges are all too common today because the filing party faces no consequences, yet they slow the NLRB’s issuance of rulings that protect workers’ rights.
With this reform, the board could act more swiftly and effectively to ensure that workers’ voices are heard in unionization elections. That is a goal lawmakers would be hard-pressed to oppose.
To be sure, these are far from the only labor reforms that workers need. They also need guaranteed secret ballot elections, stronger privacy protections and a slew of other policies that protect their rights, safety and long-term success.
Those reforms will take time to pass, whereas ending racist or sexually harassing language in unionization campaigns should be easy to get across the finish line soon.
Clearly, Congress is capable of rallying behind pro-worker labor reforms. The House’s bipartisan passage of the Ending Predator Access to Union Power Act proves it, and hopefully it will clear the Senate soon.
The bigger question is: What commonsense, pro-worker reform will lawmakers back next? Workers across America are waiting for the answer.
• F. Vincent Vernuccio is president of the Institute for the American Worker.
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