On March 18th, North Carolina celebrated 74 years of critical workers’ rights laws. Among other things, these laws protect North Carolinians from forced union membership. Unions are oftentimes shamelessly political, and protecting workers from being required to pay dues into a union that will donate to politicians they disagree with is a critically important free speech issue.

Disturbingly, our Democratic-held Congress is attempting to push through “The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.” This legislation would overturn right-to-work laws in North Carolina, as well as 27 other states. Some of the most egregious aspects of this legislation, according to State Policy Network, are:

  • Repeal right-to-work laws, resulting in many workers being forced to join a union in order to keep their jobs.
  • Make it extremely difficult to work as (or hire) an independent contractor.
  • Impede on franchise owners’ ability to run their businesses as they see fit.
You can learn about the 12 ways the PRO Act will hurt American workers here. 
Furthermore, such a move by the federal government would be wildly out of step with what a majority of North Carolinians want. Recently, a Civitas Poll found that 71% of likely voters support a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine a North Carolinian’s right to work sans union interference.
The Old North State is an incredibly attractive state for businesses and workers. One of the most certain ways to ensure it remains appealing to companies and individuals in the future is to provide essential protections that guard against coercive union organizing.