THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
129 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN TO enact THE PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ACT.
WHEREAS, from 1980 to 2014, wages for the bottom half of income earners in the United States grew by one percent, while wages for the top one percent of earners grew by two-hundred five percent as a result of policy and court decisions that have stripped workers of the power to stand together and bargain for fairer wages, meaningful benefits, and proper working conditions; and
WHEREAS, the erosion of the standard-of-living of the working class in the United States has contributed to a divided society and pushed some individuals to embrace racism and xenophobia; and
WHEREAS, unionized workers earn over thirteen percent more than comparable nonunionized workers and receive fairer wages, better benefits, and have better working conditions; and
WHEREAS, special-interest attacks on state and federal labor laws have eroded union membership with the percentage of workers in a union declining from thirty-three percent in 1956 to just ten percent in 2018; and
WHEREAS, on February 6, 2020, the United States House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019, H.R. 2474, 116th Cong., 2d Sess. (2019-2020); and
WHEREAS, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act:
(1) Empowers workers to enforce their labor rights under the National Labor Relations Act in court, as well as permitting the National Labor Relations Board to assess meaningful monetary penalties for violations of the National Labor Relations Act against corporations and corporate officers;
(2) Prohibits employers from interfering in union elections, including prohibiting employers from requiring workers to attend meetings that are intended to persuade them against forming a union;
(3) Enhances worker rights to support boycotts, strikes, and similar acts;
(4) Clarifies that employers are prohibited from forcing employees to waive their rights to engage in collective or class-action litigation;
(5) Allows employers and unions to enter into agreements that allow unions to collect fair-share fees that cover the costs of collective bargaining and administration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement;
(6) Helps newly formed unions to reach a first contract with the employer;
(7) Closes loopholes in existing federal law, such as misclassification of employees as supervisors or independent contractors; and
(8) Prevents workers from being denied remedies due to their immigration status; and
WHEREAS, passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act is crucial to restoring a healthy balance between the rights of labor and management and raising the standard-of-living of the working class; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the United States Congress and the President of the United States are respectfully urged to enact the Protecting the Right to Organize Act as expeditiously as possible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States of America, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Protecting the Right to Organize Act; Congress; President