[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 22, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H5738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MAKE EVERY STATE A RIGHT-TO-WORK STATE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, though what I am about to say will surely 
cause a strong case of hypertension among my Democrat colleagues and 
their union allies, I won't hold back: Unions didn't build the middle 
class in America. Entrepreneurs and hardworking Americans did.
  Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the landmark legislation that 
enables States to pass right-to-work laws, and it is a cause for 
celebration.
  Since 1947, 27 States have decided to allow employees to choose for 
themselves whether to belong to a union or not. What a smart decision 
passing right-to-work laws was, Madam Speaker. They give workers the 
freedom to make their own choices when it comes to paying union dues.
  With rising inflation and gas prices, workers should not be forced to 
hand their hard-earned paychecks over to the unions in order to keep 
their jobs.
  Time and again, unions prove that worker representation plays second 
fiddle to a partisan political agenda that comes as no surprise to 
anyone.
  For example, the AFL-CIO's financial disclosure form shows that they 
spent more than $37 million on political activity and lobbying while 
spending just $16 million to represent workers. Workers should never be 
forced to fund political causes they disagree with.
  The truth is, right-to-work laws are good for unions, too. Making 
union membership a choice instead of a mandatory condition of 
employment improves unions by making them more responsive to worker 
needs.
  It is no secret that unions in mandatory dues States neglect the 
needs of workers. It isn't until unions have to fight to get and keep 
members that they make workers a priority. Giving workers a choice 
gives workers leverage, and this can lead to more transparency and 
accountability.
  The truth is that right-to-work laws are good for the economy and 
bolster industries. Data shows that States with right-to-work laws have 
lower unemployment and higher job and wage growth than States without 
such laws. Worker freedom leads to flourishing. What a concept, Madam 
Speaker.
  One study shows that right-to-work States attract more manufacturing 
and construction jobs than States with compulsory union membership. 
States which have enacted right-to-work laws in the past 22 years have 
a 20.7 percent higher manufacturing share than they would have if they 
did not protect worker freedom. According to the National Right to Work 
Committee, factory employment rose by 150,000 in right-to-work States 
in 2021 alone.

  These numbers speak for themselves. Being pro-right-to-work means 
being progrowth.
  In the face of such overwhelming positive figures, I find it mind-
boggling that Democrats want to push the radical Protecting the Right 
to Organize Act, the PRO Act. The PRO Act would overturn right-to-work 
laws in 27 States and force workers to line the wallets of union 
bosses.
  PRO Act policies will undermine worker choice, burden employers, and 
harm our economy for years to come. That is why I have been working in 
Congress to oppose this legislation and to hold the Biden 
administration accountable when it tries to push PRO Act policies by 
executive fiat.
  Madam Speaker, it is time to embrace worker freedom, a quintessential 
American value, and it is time to protect worker rights. I am proud to 
celebrate the 75th anniversary of the right to work.
  Let's make every State a right-to-work State. I guarantee the country 
would be much better off.

                          ____________________