“Federal power grabs like these are unconstitutional and go against our entire system of government.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke out against the PRO Act during yesterday’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) hearing, calling the bill a “massive power grab to override the will of voters” by undoing states’ Right to Work Laws. Ms. Jyoti Sarolia, a California hotel owner, testified that if passed, the PRO Act would cripple small businesses like hers and give workers fewer job opportunities.
Excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s line of questioning can be found below and the full video can be found here.
TUBERVILLE: “The PRO Act represents a massive power grab to override the will of the voters. Federal power grabs like these are unconstitutional and go against our entire system of government. The PRO Act would overrule the right-to-work laws across the country and forced tens of millions of employees to join a union. Currently, 27 states have right-to-work laws Alabama is one of them. Right-to-work laws give workers freedom. And more importantly, it gives workers the freedom to choose whether to unionize or not.”
“Alabama’s right-to-work law has been a huge benefit for our state because we’re in the car business. We’ve got about six or seven car businesses and manufacturers – Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes, 40,000 manufacturing jobs. We make a million cars and trucks a year. $8.2 billion dollars. And we’re not union[ized]. But forcing unionization on every worker in every sector many industries would grind to a halt, especially in Alabama. Employer costs would skyrocket, which could lead to a loss of jobs.”
“On top of that according to the State Policy Network, the PRO Act would negative effect 57 million American workers who call themselves freelancers. Unions to some degree, they have helped this country, they have helped the country. However, in 2021, there are multiple government entities that exist purely to uphold workplace, safety standards and protect workers. We’ve got the Department of Labor. We’ve got OSHA. Are we going to start unions and just close that down?”
“We need to give workers the ability to choose. This is a free country. Choice creates competition. Competition breeds success. Every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union. I believe in that statement but the PRO Act would tip the scales.”
“Ms. Sarolia, you mentioned that in your testimony COVID-19,pandemic hit businesses, especially hard. If the PRO Act is passed, how will its provisions slow down this much-needed recovery. And why?”
JYOTI SAROLIA: “You know, more so business. It’s like 25 years ago, we got in. I owned my first hotel in 1996 thinking that I would be able to employ people in my community. If the PRO Act passes, I think the control that I had overseeing my operation would be given to a third party like the unionization or even our franchisor — someone that sits 4,000 miles away from me wouldn’t be able to control that.”
“If the PRO Act passes, I don’t think we would be having a business to run anymore. That would be number one because the scare of anybody wanting to own under thePRO Act, I don’t think it’s going to be a small business and I don’t think it’s going to be an American Dream story, and I definitely don’t think I’m going to be an entrepreneur.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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