[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       UNION POWER IS DIMINISHING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Salinas) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the PRO Act.
  My family's story is an American one. A union one. It is the story of 
how a good-paying union job gave a family of immigrants and first-
generation Americans a pathway out of poverty and into the middle 
class.
  Sadly, stories like mine are harder to find these days. Unions have 
seen their power diminished as the American Dream grows further and 
further out of reach for the average working family. That is why I am 
so proud to be an original cosponsor of the Protecting the Right to 
Organize Act because it is time to make that dream a reality again.
  The PRO Act will empower Oregonians and all Americans to exercise 
their right to organize, hold employers accountable for violating their 
rights, and participate in free and fair union elections.
  This landmark legislation will go a long way toward protecting the 
most vulnerable workers who courageously showed up for their 
communities even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. From 
teachers to nurses to home care workers, these people--many of whom are 
women and women of color--are everyday heroes, and they deserve to be 
treated with dignity and respect.

                              {time}  1230

  In 2022, America's unionization rate fell to its lowest on record, 
but in Oregon, we reached new heights.
  Our State is home to 318,000 proud unionized workers, making up about 
18 percent of our workforce. In fact, we are now the fourth most 
unionized State in America, something I know Oregonians and we all 
should be proud of.
  In the face of record-breaking corporate profits and a growing wealth 
gap, workers in Oregon have united to champion a deeply American cause: 
economic opportunity for all.
  From Starbucks to Fred Meyer, Nabisco to Burgerville, working 
Oregonians from all walks of life are coming together to say we have 
had enough. We have had enough of corporate greed and union busting. We 
have had enough of wage stagnation and dangerous work environments. We 
have had enough of fighting tooth and nail for the benefits that we 
deserve. We have had enough.
  Now, the burden falls on us. As lawmakers, we have a duty to answer 
the rising call for change. We have a duty to not only protect good-
paying jobs but to expand that opportunity for everyone because, at the 
end of the day, America is only as strong as its middle class.
  Let's pass the PRO Act and show the world how strong we really are.

                          ____________________