The nationwide worker shortage is clearly no problem for Democrats eager to make the problem exponentially worse with their devastating PRO Act.
The PRO Act, which is stalled in the Senate and unlikely to pass the filibuster, is based on California’s infamous AB-5 bill. This law makes it next to impossible for companies to hire contractors without classifying these them as full-time employees and providing them with a full salary and benefits. The bill would also abolish Right-to-Work laws in over two dozen states, forcing workers to join a union even if they want nothing to do with one.
It remains to be seen if the Democrats can sneak portions of the PRO Act into the “Build Back Better” Bill. The Senate Parliamentarian could rule that the act has nothing to do with budget reconciliation, as she did when the Democrats tried to force a minimum wage hike and other provisions into other bills.
Democrats have not divulged which bits of the PRO Act would potentially be included in the Build Back Better plan. This means that some potentially devastating portions of the bill may not make it into law. However, what can be said for certain is that AB-5 wreaked havoc on California’s economy and will continue to do so.
A shortage of truckers in the state is contributing to supply chain disruption throughout the nation, and the problem will get worse if independent truckers throughout the nation are no longer able to work. Uber and Lyft drivers who work part-time may not want to become full-time drivers, leading to a shortage of available drivers and quite possibly a price hike. Rural hospitals that could not afford to hire some full-time medical professionals were forced to choose between cutting costs elsewhere and sending patients to other hospitals for care.
House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi likes to say that the general public would like the Build Back Better Act if they fully understood what was in it. However, census data clearly shows that people are leaving forced-unionization states and moving to ones with right-to-work laws. Even many California Democrats couldn’t handle the full consequences of AB-5. They voted to exempt Uber, Lyft, UberEats, DoorDash and other similar companies. The state legislature later carved out more exemptions for other professions.
It’s really the unions that want this bill. Since Democrats are beholden to them, it’s not surprising to see them fight tooth and nail to put their wishlist into everything they pass.
