SALEM, ORE. - Dozens of union members held an informational picket this morning at Congressman Kurt Schrader’s district office in downtown Salem to protest the Congressman’s opposition to H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. After picketing and chanting on the sidewalk, representatives from the Oregon AFL-CIO and local unions entered the building to meet with Congressman’s Schrader’s staff and deliver a letter asking for support of the PRO Act.
Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor explained why the picket was organized:
“Working people are fed up with the status quo and are speaking up about it. The refusal from Congressman Schrader to support the PRO Act is inexcusable and we expect better from him. The PRO Act is simple: it gives workers more freedom to join unions, holds bad employers accountable for their actions, and even addresses the rampant misclassification of workers we see in emerging industries like app-based transportation and delivery services. Every other Democrat in Oregon’s Congressional Delegation not only supports the PRO Act, they’ve co-sponsored it. As the gap between the rich and everyone else widens, we need to find solutions to increase workers’ prosperity. That’s why the PRO Act is so important: it gives working people better tools to fight for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.”
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the PRO Act later this week. The Oregon AFL-CIO will continue encouraging the public to contact Congressman Schrader to ask for his support until the bill is approved by the House. To view specific details about the policy, please visit https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2474.