Written by Michael Palomba
Former Vice President and current Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden took the time this Labor Day to remind voters that he is fully behind the PRO Act.
For years, President Trump and Republicans have waged a war on America's labor unions.
It will end on my watch.
I'll sign the PRO Act — making it easier for workers to organize and collectively bargain — and be the strongest labor president workers have ever had.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 7, 2020
The problem with that is that the PRO Act would eliminate millions jobs and send people nationwide spiraling into financial turmoil. Weird thing to boast about on a day that is supposed to celebrate labor, don’t you think?
If you haven’t heard of the PRO Act, it’s very similar to California’s AB 5. Written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, AB 5 has single-handedly decimated the gig economy in California, destroying peoples’ livelihoods and sparking countless legal battles.
Uber and Lyft nearly shut down operations in California in August 20 after losing a legal battle against the legislation. It took a last minute injunction from a judge to exempt the ride-sharing companies from the law until the next court battle. Had Uber and Lyft actually went through with the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of drivers would’ve lost their income.
With unemployment already sky high as a result of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns, the last thing the country needs is a federal version of the job-killing AB 5, which has already done so much damage to California in only a few months.
In addition to destroying the gig economy, the PRO Act would eliminate right-to-work laws. These laws protect individuals from being forced into unions, giving them the freedom to unionize or not. Currently in effect in 28 states, right-to-work laws ensure that employees are not forced to pay union fees or be a member of a union in order to work.
The PRO Act is not pro-labor legislation, it’s pro-union legislation that sharply infringes on employment freedom. By removing an individual’s right to work in whatever capacity they choose and removing the protections that allow people to work without being forced into a union, the PRO Act is really just a plot to funnel more money and power to labor unions nationwide.
This should come as no surprise; unions are some of the top donors to liberal groups and Democrats. Biden is little more than a puppet. Whether it’s for unions, his Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, or whoever else, Biden just does what he’s told and follows the money. It’s what he’s done in government for over four decades, and that will not change if America makes the grave mistake of electing him.
