March 26, 2025
Dear Members of the United States Senate,
We write to express our deep concern about Senator Josh Hawley’s proposed labor framework. The framework has no meaningful differences from the Democrats’ so-called “PRO” Act, which has been rejected repeatedly by the U.S. Senate. While the draft legislation is billed as a means to empower workers, instead it dramatically empowers unions at the expense of workers. It will harm workers, job creators, and the economy as a whole.
The proposed “framework” is a fundamental backward shift in labor law, prioritizing special interests at the expense of workers’ freedom of choice and small business autonomy and speech:
- It deprives workers of both the time and information needed to make an informed choice on whether or not to join a union.
- It mandates union organizing elections be within just 20 business days, significantly limiting workers’ time to fully understand the implications of joining a union.
- It includes no corresponding provisions to help workers conduct decertification elections when a majority express interest in removing a union from their workplace. This is the definition of one-sided—and workers are on the losing side.
The “framework” allows federal bureaucrats to dictate union contracts—trapping workers, employers, and even unions into terms they might not have chosen on their own. Requiring employers to enter into binding agreements with unions within a rigid government-imposed timeline mutes workers’ voices and employers’ wishes, which are better balanced via negotiations.
By significantly increasing penalties for alleged violations of labor laws, including the possibility of direct legal action, the “framework” puts small businesses at a distinct disadvantage. This will particularly hurt job creators who lack the legal resources to navigate such complex and costly litigation. Small businesses could even be forced to close due to minor violations of complicated federal law. Yet, the “framework” makes no mention of increased penalties on labor organizations for potential violations of federal labor law—another glaring lack of balance.
The “framework” also infringes on employers’ ability to communicate with their own employees inside their own workplace, a draconian restriction that will deprive workers of the information they need to make an informed decision on unionization. The “framework” does not include any protections for workers from union abuse, despite a long history of unions harassing and intimidating workers they seek to pressure into organizing. It also requires employers post notice of workers’ labor rights while including no mention that workers also have a federally protected right to decertify their union. Nor does it mention that in more than half the states, workers have the right to opt out of union membership and all associated dues and fees.
This “framework” overlooks the vital needs of workers and small businesses, especially the realities faced by workers who do not want to be forced into unionization. We urge you to oppose this “framework” in its current form and instead pursue balanced labor policies that empower workers while ensuring the continued growth and viability of small businesses across the country.
There are countless ways to protect and empower workers without undermining their autonomy and hampering job creators’ ability to work with their employees. We stand ready to work with you on policies that protect workers, promote small businesses, and usher in a new era of shared opportunity and prosperity for all.
Sincerely,
Marty Connors
Chairman
Alabama Center Right Coalition
Brent Gardner
Chief Government Affairs Officer
Americans for Prosperity
Grover Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform
Kristen Swearingen
Vice President, Legislative and Political Affairs
Associated Builders and Contractors
Will Swaim
President
California Policy Center
Russ Brown
President
Center for Independent Employees
Rowan Saydlowski
Director
Center for Worker Freedom
Chuck Muth
President
Citizen Outreach
Sean Higgins
Research Fellow
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Maxford Nelsen
Director of Research and Government Affairs
Freedom Foundation
Vance Ginn, Ph.D.
President
Ginn Economic Consulting and Former Chief Economist, Trump 45 White House OMB
Jonathan Riches
Vice President for Litigation & General Counsel
Goldwater Institute
Mailee Smith
Senior Director of Labor Policy
Illinois Policy
Patrice Onwuka
Director, Center for Economic Opportunity
Independent Women
F. Vincent Vernuccio
President
Institute for the American Worker
Steve Delie
Director of Labor Policy
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Brandon Arnold
Executive Vice President
National Taxpayers Union
Jeff Kropf
President
Oregon Taxpayer Coalition
Stephen Stepanek
President
Pine Tree Public Policy Institute
Mike Stenhouse
CEO & Publisher
Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Paul Gessing
President
Rio Grande Foundation
Tony Daunt
Senior Director
Workers for Opportunity
Heather Greenaway
Executive Director
Workforce Fairness Institute