Democrats Pass PRO Act — Giving MASSIVE Amount of Power to Unions

Congress has been quietly passing quite a few bills lately, most passing without a single Republican vote. The PRO Actsounds innocent enough. It stands for “Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019.” What it actually does, though, is give enormous powers to unions while virtually eliminating independent contractors, freelancers, and the gig economy as a whole.

Let’s take a look at the criminally under-reported impact this leftist legislation will have on the American people.

What Does that Mean for the U.S. Economy?

2020 was a devastating year that saw many small businesses shut their doors, initially for 15 days but ultimately, many will never open again. Small businesses account for 50 percent of the U.S. economy — and faced the heaviest restrictions from COVID-19 lockdowns by Democratic governors.

With so many small businesses hard hit by COVID-19 shutdowns, the effects on the economy have been brutal. More importantly, employees who were displaced by these shutdowns had to scramble in order to seek employment. Many of them turned to the “gig” economy, turning to organizations like those below to earn money:

• UberEats
• DoorDash
• GrubHub
• Shipt
• Instacart

These “gigs” were ideal options for displaced food service workers and many retail employees.

Those who had professional careers often turned to the Internet to offer their services as freelancers. The wide range of skilled professionals who are able to continue working in this capacity include:

• Architects
• Engineers
• Computer programmers
• Software designers
• Writers
• Graphic artists
• Website designers
• Accountants

The list goes on and on. Many of those who have recently fallen into the freelance way of life have fully embraced the versatility and flexibility it offers. They have no desire to return to cubicles and office spaces once COVID-19 ends and society figures out what its new normal will be.

Ending the Gig Economy

These are a few quick facts about the enormous reach of freelancing as an industry according to CNBC:

• Roughly 36 percent of the U.S. workforce is made up of freelance workers.
• Nearly 75 percent of all freelancers say they make the same or more pay as freelancers than when traditionally employed.
• Freelance workers contribute approximately $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy each year.
• The number of freelance workers increased by more than two million from 2019 to 2020 – largely due to COVID shutdowns.
• 58 percent of professionals who turned to freelancing due to COVID-19 layoffs and shutdowns are considering freelancing in the future.

By the numbers, it’s easy to see that eliminating this growing percentage of the U.S. workforce at a time when the economy is already at the breaking point would be something the U.S. economy may never recover from. At the very least, it will leave millions more facing unemployment than the estimated 10 – 18.3 million currently unemployed. All in all, the PRO Act is bad news for the U.S. budget and the economy as a whole.

If the Democrats have their way, employers that provide freelancers with a platform to trade their services will be forced to unionize — something that will effectively price out the jobs they offer. This isn’t just an attack on jobs — this is an attack on being able to offer jobs in the future.