[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 9, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    INEQUALITY IS AT HISTORIC HIGHS

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the PRO Act. 
Union membership is at historic lows while inequality is at historic 
highs. The tremendous income inequality in our country is due, in large 
part, to antiunion policies that have stripped workers of the freedom 
to negotiate collectively for higher wages, better benefits, and safer 
working conditions.
  Strong unions are essential to rebuilding the middle class and 
improving the lives of millions of Americans.
  The PRO Act ensures workers have the freedom to decide for 
themselves, without retaliation, whether to form a union. It 
strengthens safeguards to ensure workers can hold free and fair union 
elections and it imposes penalties on companies and executives that 
violate workers' collective bargaining rights.
  Passing the PRO Act will not only strengthen Rhode Island's workers' 
ability to join a union, it will help rebuild the middle class and 
create an economy where everyone can succeed.
  I urge all my colleagues to support the PRO Act.

                          ____________________