Rep. Good Legislation Takes on Radical Biden Labor Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Good (VA-05) is renewing his commitment to lead a bold agenda to stand up to the union bosses and the Biden Administration’s radical labor policies by introducing three bills: the Repeal Davis-Bacon Act, the Prohibit Neutrality Agreements Act, and the Union Integrity Act. Earlier this week, Congressman Good was named Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions for the 118th Congress.

“America’s economic recovery has been stifled by radical Democrat policies which discourage work, enable big labor, and punish small businesses. As someone who worked in a unionized auto factory during college, I saw firsthand the problems unions can create. Unions make American companies less efficient, less profitable, and less competitive, and they cost American jobs. Rather than working to eliminate unnecessary regulations and reduce tax burdens, Democrats want to give union bosses unrestricted power,” said Rep. Good.

For far too long, far-reaching labor laws have empowered government bureaucrats and union bosses to the detriment of U.S. taxpayers and non-unionized American workers. The bills introduced by Congressman Good will rein in the costs of inflated government construction projects; ensure employers and their workers are not excluded from unionization conversations; and provide whistleblower protections for union employees who reveal union corruption. We encourage all members to support these important bills to end coercive labor practices. – Ryan Walker, Vice President of Government Relations, Heritage Action

"Together, these bills provide greater accountability and transparency for the American public and workers while also providing new protections for workers and businesses against undue union pressure."- Austen Bannan, AFP Policy Fellow

“Exposing illegal union boss activity is a risky proposition for workers who are regularly harassed, fired, even physically attacked, merely for criticizing union bosses. Workers should not face retaliation for exposing corruption among the union officials whom federal law forces them to accept as their ‘representatives.’ We therefore support the Union Integrity Act.”—National Right to Work Committee President, Mark Mix

The Davis-Bacon Repeal Act

The Davis-Bacon Repeal Act would repeal the Jim Crow era “Davis-Bacon” law which requires the federal government to pay the “prevailing wage”, which inflates the cost of taxpayer funded construction and infrastructure.

• Davis-Bacon Makes Government Infrastructure More Expensive. CBO has estimated that repealing Davis-Bacon would have saved $12 billion on federal spending on construction from 2019-2028. Eliminating the artificially inflated cost of federal contracts is the least Congress could do to save some hard-earned taxpayer money.
• Davis-Bacon Inflates Wages. It requires that subcontractors working on federal contracts be paid the “prevailing wage,” which is an artificial wage set by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor. HERE
• Davis-Bacon Is a Discriminatory Jim Crow Law. Passed into law in 1931, Davis-Bacon was a conglomeration of many bills introduced by Representative Robert Bacon of Long Island New York. Bacon had begun introducing bills to regulate wages of government contractors because he intended to eliminate competition in labor for white union laborers from contractors after workers in his district lost a federal contract to build a VA Hospital on Long Island to a firm that employed African Americans from Alabama. HERE

Original Cosponsors (6): Ralph Norman (SC-05), Scott Perry (PA-10), Tom McClintock (CA-05), Mary Miller (IL-15), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Randy Weber (TX-14)

Supporters: National Right to Work, Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity

Prohibit Coercive So-Called “Neutrality Agreements” 

The Prohibit Neutrality Agreements Act would empower employers to contract with employees and labor organizations as they see fit, without being subject to coercive union tactics and smear campaigns commonly associated with so called “neutrality agreements.”

Background

• Under the Trump Administration, NRLB Counsel Peter Robb argued that “neutrality agreements” should already be prohibited under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act as it is an exchange between businesses and unions of “a thing of value.” Sadly, President Biden fired Robb and dropped this litigation. This bill would simply clarify the argument of the Trump Administration and prohibit this predatory union practice. HERE.

Original Cosponsors (3): Scott Perry (PA-10), Mary Miller (IL-15), Matt Gaetz (FL-01)

Group Support: National Right to Work, Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity

Union Integrity Act

The Union Integrity Act would provide strong whistleblower protections for union employees who want to reveal corrupt and illegal practices of union bosses. It would prohibit labor unions from retaliating against any employee who provides information to authorities, testifies in enforcement proceedings, or refuses to perform tasks that violate the law.

Employees regularly feel compelled to join a union to work in their career field. In many states, employees can be fired for not paying their union dues, while the Department of Labor-Management Standards charges more than 100 union bosses each year for misuse of funds and embezzling.

Original Cosponsors (2): Mary Miller (IL-15), Randy Weber (TX-14)

Group Support: National Right to Work, Heritage Action, Americans for Prosperity