Joe Biden was not, to put it mildly, the first choice of labor movement progressives in the 2020 Democratic primary. He brought a thirty-year record of supporting anti-worker policies, advocating cuts to Social Security, and pandering to the Right. But times change, and things that were out of reach a few decades ago are at least on the agenda for labor.

This can be seen most clearly with the PRO Act, a laundry list of reforms that recently passed the House. The legislation would roll back decades-old restrictions on unions, eliminate “right to work” provisions, and penalize corporations who violate labor law. It’s the real deal, at least on paper. Now many unions and activists are gearing up to fight for the PRO Act, seeing in it the key to reviving organized labor.

Even if the legislation (which Biden says he supports) does not pass, proposing meaningful reform at least gets the discussion going. Labor law needs a complete overhaul, so there’s no sense in tinkering around the edges.