"The rights of American workers were under attack during the Obama presidency, and it is time to restore those rights and work to foster a pro-growth, pro-employee environment," Roe said in a statement. "This legislation will ensure individuals’ rights are upheld when considering whether or not they wish to join a union."
The bill would guarantee a secret ballot election and broaden participation requirements to increase turnout in union votes before the National Labor Relations Board, the top federal labor arbiter that oversees union organizing campaigns. It would also reverse the current practice in which workers are forced to opt into agency fees, dues payments that cover only union representational activities and exclude political and lobbying expenses. Under the bill, workers would by default only pay for representation and would have to opt into participating in the union's political work. Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.) said that such a measure would increase transparency about how dues money is spent and allow workers to hold union officials accountable for their budgetary decisions.
"The Employee Rights Act is critical legislation that establishes clear protections for America’s workers—to protect employees from union coercion, to have a secret ballot, and, if they choose to join a union, to know how their dues are spent," Wilson said in a statement.