How Union Reformers Passed the PRO Act in Vermont
The pro-union PRO Act is stalled at the national level. But in Vermont, union reformers took over the AFL-CIO and used it to win their own version of the bill.
Vermont AFL-CIO president Katie Maurice (L) holds a banner, along with the organization’s executive director, Liz Medina (R). (Courtesy of David Van Deusen)
If you’re a fan of unions, there’s been a lot to get excited about lately. Strikes and militancy are up, public support for labor is peaking, and the prospects for new organizing are better than they’ve been in decades.
Unfortunately, even with all this good news, labor’s legislative fortunes remain dim. If passed, the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would arguably represent the most comprehensive labor law reform since the 1940s. The bill includes a slew of measures to make it easier to form a union and negotiate a first contract. But the PRO Act is stalled in Congress, and it’s hard to see a world where the Democrats can muster a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate anytime soon.
This hasn’t stopped the labor movement in Vermont, bolstered by new reform leadership of the state’s AFL-CIO, from winning their own version of the bill. On May 9, the Vermont Senate passed the PRO Act, and it now heads to the governor’s desk with a veto-proof majority. While not identical to the federal version, the Vermont legislation is a resounding victory for the state’s workers.
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