WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night, the U.S. House passed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act in a 225-206 vote. Independent Women’s Voice opposes the PRO Act for putting union interests above everyday Americans and urges the Senate to protect flexible work opportunities and worker freedom by rejecting the PRO Act.

Patrice Onwuka, senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Voice, released the following statement:

“The PRO Act is not pro-worker, pro-business, pro-women, or pro-freedom; it’s pro-union bosses. The passage of the PRO Act by the House of Representatives brings Congress one step closer to spreading the economic disaster that AB5 inflicted on Californians to the rest of the country.

“Women have borne the toll of the pandemic, as over 2 million of them left the workforce. At the same time, women have taken on greater responsibilities in the home. Gig economy jobs and independent contracting kept women attached to the labor force. Why eliminate these critical opportunities now?

“Women want flexibility, they want freedom, and they want choice. The PRO Act will rob women and men of the opportunity to pursue the work that fits their unique situations. It will undermine the economic security of those who do not want or cannot work in a traditional 9-to-5 job.

“Our national leaders should do everything they can to expand workers’ freedom and flexible working opportunities. That means the Senate must reject the PRO Act and other efforts to reclassify millions of the nation’s freelancers.”

Independent Women’s Voice is running a nationwide campaign called Stop the PRO Act, and is driving constituents to contact their legislators and urge them to vote against the PRO Act.

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www.iwv.org