Friend --
On this day and every day, we honor the achievements of those before us in the workforce who helped to secure higher wages, benefit standards, working hour limits, and workplace hazard protections.
But there's still more work to be done. Unfortunately, the labor movement has been under attack for decades as special interests seek to roll back the movement's gains.
Across the country, states have enacted right-to-work laws designed to weaken the power of unions, making it optional for workers who receive the benefits of a collective bargaining agreement to not pay their fair share for the expenses that the union incurs while guaranteeing the rights of all employees. Making matters worse was the Supreme Court's
Janus decision in 2018, which effectively created a national right-to-work law for the public sector.
That's why earlier this year, I proudly voted to pass the PRO Act -- the most expansive labor legislation since 1935. The PRO Act protects organizing efforts by overriding right-to-work laws and authorizing meaningful penalties for companies and executives that violate workers' rights.
Now more than ever, we need to celebrate and support our friends in labor. From the teachers returning back to the classroom, to the nurses taking care of our family and friends during a global pandemic, to the builders and tradesmen who keep our infrastructure intact.
We owe so much to our workers.
Our campaign is a movement built on love and compassion. There is no better expression of those values than to be in solidarity with our fellow workers as they organize, bargain, and demand healthier and safer working conditions.
Working hand-in-hand with our friends in labor, we will create a better working environment for millions of Americans -- which will make our country and democracy stronger than ever.
In solidarity,
Antonio
