(File)

(File)

Opinion: We need the PRO Act. Here’s why

The hard-working men and women of Alaska’s building trades need the PRO Act.

  • By Corey Baxter
  • Monday, August 2, 2021 11:07pm
  • Opinion

By Corey Baxter

The hard-working men and women of Alaska’s building trades need the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

The PRO Act was passed with bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year — including support from Rep. Don Young.

The PRO Act, put simply, would renew the promise made in the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 — that workers have “full freedom of association, self-organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection.”

The right to freely and fairly organize is a patriotic belief, not a partisan one. Union members vote for both political parties, and we live in red and blue communities. My union, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, has endorsed Republicans, Democrats and independents. Unionism transcends ideology, and it transcends any one issue.

In an era of extreme polarization, Alaskans are overwhelmingly supportive of labor unions. And recent polling showed that 72% of likely Alaskan voters support the PRO Act. Labor unifies Alaska, and it unifies Juneau.

The PRO Act would end the worst practices of employers, like the misclassification of workers to deprive them of basic benefits and protections, like forcing workers to sit through union-bashing sessions, like firing workers who have the courage to speak up about unsafe working conditions.

The PRO Act is a generational opportunity for the thousands of Alaskans who want to join a union but haven’t found the path to get there under current law.

Working people deserve a voice on the job and at the bargaining table. They deserve fair wages and safe working conditions. And that is why I am calling on our U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan to support the PRO Act.

Corey Baxter is the District 8 representative for Operating Engineers Local 302.

More in Opinion

The Alaska Capitol on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Alaska Voices: Legislature deserves credit

A special session shouldn’t have been necessary, but at least it was only one day instead of 30 days.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Alaska Voices: Please be safe, courteous, and legal as you fish in Alaska this summer

As you head out to hit the water this year, here are a few tips to help you have a safe and citation free season

An observer makes an entry in the Fish Map App on Prince of Wales Island. (Photo by Lee House/courtesy Salmon State)
Alaska Voices: Document Alaska rivers with new fish map app

The app provides a way for everyday Alaskans to document rivers home to wild salmon, whitefish, eulachon and other ocean-going fish — and earn money doing it

(Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: Sustainability report is a greenwashing effort

Report leaves out “the not-so-pretty.”

Pictured is an adult Chinook salmon swimming in Ship Creek, Anchorage. (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Voices of the Peninsula: Proactive measures key to king salmon recovery

I have been sport fishing king salmon along the eastern shores of Cook Inlet and in the Kenai River since 1977

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Honoring the fallen on Memorial Day

As we honor the men and women who fell in service to our nation, we must keep their memories alive through their stories

Shana Loshbaugh (Courtesy photo)
History conference seeking input from peninsula people

The Alaska Historical Society will hold its annual conference on the central peninsula this fall

Coach Dan Gensel (left) prepares to get his ear pierced to celebrate Soldotna High School’s first team-sport state championship on Friday, Febr. 12, 1993 in Soldotna, Alaska. Gensel, who led the Soldotna High School girls basketball team to victory, had promised his team earlier in the season that he would get his ear pierced if they won the state title. (Rusty Swan/Peninsula Clarion)
Remembering my friend, Dan Gensel

It’s a friendship that’s both fixed in time and eternal

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The false gods in America’s gun culture

HB 61 is a solution in search of a problem.

KPBSD Superintendent Clayton Holland
Reflecting on a year of growth and resilience

A message from the superintendent

Jim Cockrell, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. (Courtesy photo/Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)
Honoring the 69 peace officers who have died serving Alaskans

Alaska Peace Officer Memorial Day honors the brave men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty

Rep. Maxine Dibert (Image via Alaska State Legislature)
Opinion: The economic case for a significant investment in education

As our oil production and related revenue have declined, our investments in education have remained flat