In a communication delivered today to New Hampshire’s two U.S. House members, the Business & Industry Association — New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate — expressed strong opposition to HR 842, also known as the “PRO” (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act. Representative Chris Pappas (CD 1) and Representative Ann McLane Kuster (CD 2) are both cosponsors of the legislation.

“BIA seldom weighs in on legislation or regulations at the national level as our main focus is public policy affecting our members that is promulgated at the state level,” said BIA President Jim Roche. “However, there are occasions when a piece of federal legislation is so egregious that we are compelled to voice our concerns. Such is the case with the PRO Act.”

“The PRO Act is an ill-advised attempt to fundamentally restructure American workplaces and infringe on workers’ rights to a secret ballot, workplace democracy and personal privacy. It would undo the carefully crafted balance between labor and management that has existed since 1947 with the creation of the Labor Management Relations Act,” Roche wrote in the letter. “The legislation would authorize ‘secondary boycotts’ allowing unions to launch disruptive protests and pickets against any employer, even those that have nothing to do with a labor dispute. It would undermine the collective bargaining process by imposing union contracts if the union and employers are unable to reach an agreement. These are just a few of the many ‘anti-employer’ provisions of the PRO Act,” he added.

The U.S. House is expected to take up HR 842 as early as next week. If passed it will be sent to the U.S. Senate for further review and debate.

“The PRO Act is a misguided and unnecessary piece of legislation,” the BIA letter to Pappas and McLane Kuster said. “BIA respectfully asks you to reconsider your support of it,” the letter concluded.

Follow this link to read the full letters.

###