Their Take: NFIB Denounces House’s Passage of PRO Act of 2021

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the following statement from Vice President of Federal Government Relations Kevin Kuhlman in response to the United States House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 842, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2021. The legislation would dramatically upend long-standing employment laws in favor of labor unions at the expense of small businesses and employees.

“The small business recovery is uneven among industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic and government-mandated regulations. This legislation is filled with destructive labor proposals that will be damaging to the recovery and create an additional burden for small business owners. Small business owners can’t afford more labor costs and regulations at a time when they are struggling to stay open.”

The PRO Act of 2021 was re-introduced in the House of Representatives on February 21, 2021. NFIB previously opposed the legislation and published an infographic on the harm it would cause small businesses. NFIB considered H.R. 842 a Key Vote for the 117^th Congress.

NFIB members are strongly opposed to the PRO Act:

• 79% of members believe that employers should not be required to recognize unions by way of signed authorization cards. The legislation would remove the right of workers to hold a secret ballot regarding if they should or should not join a union.
• 70% of NFIB members oppose repealing state “Right to Work” laws. The PRO Act would abolish state “Right to Work” laws and would require all employees to contribute fees to a labor organization even if the employee is not a member of the labor organization.
• 95% of members believe small businesses should be able to hire independent contractors to perform tasks essential to their business. The PRO Act includes a stricter version of California’s “ABC” independent contractor laws that forced the state of California to immediately carve out dozens of exceptions – the PRO Act has no such exceptions.