WASHINGTON, DC – During House debate on HR 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) spoke on behalf of the Republican Motion to Recommit, leading opposition to the bill.

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

This amendment ensures that labor unions are not using illegal foreign labor to expand their reach into American workplaces & collect more union dues. Under current law, an employee can sign a union authorization card to count toward the “showing of interest” in a union election regardless of whether that worker is authorized to work in the United States. Illegal immigrants should not be working at American companies, let alone used by labor unions to organize workplaces. This Motion to Recommit ensures that unions cannot communicate with employees for organizing purposes if the employee is not legally authorized to work in the United States.

Because of the success I’ve worked for in life, not many people know that my life began very differently.

My family was dependent on food stamps for most of my youth. My step-dad never worked, and my siblings & I paid the price for it.

I knew from a young age that I would not let that be my life. From the moment I could start working, I did whatever it took to earn financial security. Hog farming, welding, computer programming, the list goes on.

If it weren’t for the McDonald’s Franchisee program, I wouldn’t be here today. After 11 years working in the restaurants, I was able to work my way into the franchisee program and purchase my first franchise location, then build a successful company with over 20 locations.

I’ve lived a truly American story, and my mission in life is to help every child who grew up like me – wondering where their next meal would come from, unsure if the lights would be on when they get home from school – I want those kids to know that our country is a place of opportunity & a place of hope -- for those who will work for it.

We shouldn’t be here discussing this bill today. It’s not worthy of this chamber. But since we are, I must do everything I can to show my disproval in the strongest terms.

The change we’re proposing here is simple. We’re asking that unions be barred from contacting individuals who are not eligible to work in our country.

If an employer cannot hire someone in our country illegally, a union should not be allowed to organize those individuals.  Believe it or not, this is not currently outlawed.

If my colleagues insist on moving forward with legislation that empowers union bosses and strips independence from our workers, they should not do it in a way that encourages illegal immigration.

This Motion to Recommit would make the PRO Act, Pro-American worker, rather than just Pro-union bosses.

I’ve been doing my research a long time. I spent 34 years as a business owner before coming to Congress. I’ve dealt with union issues for longer than some of my colleagues have been alive.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who will financially benefit from the passage of this bill, said, direct quote, “those who would oppose, delay, or derail this legislation, do not ask us for a dollar or a door knock, we won’t be coming”.

Well I’m standing here today to let Mr. Trumka know that I proudly oppose this legislation.

One of the biggest glaring failures of this legislation is taking away employee choice, effectively repealing right-to-work laws across the country, like in my home state, where we choose to empower employees and employers alike. Decades of legal precedent will be pushed aside. Where workers have previously had the freedom to choose whether or not to pay fees & join a union, they will now be forced to pay membership fees or lose their job.

This will put immeasurable power in the hands of union bosses.

Privacy provisions – that have been in place for decades – barring unions from accessing private information about employees will be eradicated under this bill. You heard that right. Union bullies will be able to access employees’ private information – even those that are not members of the union. They can use that information for anything, sell it to the highest bidder. All without the knowledge or consent of the individuals.

The same franchises that gave me the opportunity to achieve the American Dream are under attack with this legislation. Over 750,000 franchise locations that employ more than 8 million people are at risk because of the joint employer provisions in the bill. The expanded joint employer standard has cost franchise businesses $33.3 BILLION per year, resulting in 376,000 lost job opportunities and 93% more lawsuits.

Many of the ideas in this bill have already been rejected in the court system and are currently opposed by a bipartisan coalition in Congress.

I urge my friends across the aisle to support this Motion to Recommit on the behalf of the American worker & their right to choose.

Background Information

The Motion to Recommit (MTR) is a procedural tool allowing the minority party to submit an amendment to a bill before the final vote on the House floor. The MTR does not have to be ruled in order by majority leadership, giving the minority a powerful tool to propose changes that might not otherwise be accepted in the amendment process.

The Republican Motion to Recommit on HR 2474 reads:

This Motion to Recommit would amend the bill and prohibit labor organizations from communicating with an employee on joining a union if they are not authorized to work in the United States.

The bill text for HR 2474 can be found here.