This week, the Pelican Institute signed onto a letter opposing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which has been introduced in both the House and Senate at the federal level. Despite the seemingly positive image the name depicts, this legislation would drastically hurt Louisianans by further robbing them of the jobs and opportunities our state desperately needs.

For example, Louisiana has had a long history of being a right-to-work state. This is important because not only does it encourage businesses to set up shop and relocate to Louisiana, it also provides vital protections to their workers’ rights and their paychecks. This legislation would essentially invalidate Louisiana’s right-to-work status by forcing workers to pay fees to labor unions.

It would inflict further harm on Louisianans by making it more difficult to work in the gig economy for companies like Lyft and Postmates. These jobs are important, because they provide income on a flexible schedule for thousands of people in the Pelican State. The PRO Act would threaten these jobs and the ability for people to provide for themselves and their families.

The PRO Act has many other troubling provisions, all of which would hurt Louisiana’s economy and workers. The Pelican Institute is proud to join more than 60 organizations from around the nation in opposing this misguided legislation. Click here to read the entire letter.