Rep. Mark Harris Leads Lawmakers in Cracking Down on Labor Union Bosses

WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Mark Harris (NC-08) led Reps. Randy Fine (FL-06) and Bob Onder (MO-03) in introducing a package of bills to crack down on union bosses and amplify the voices of America’s workers. 

Representative Harris said, "Union leadership has lost its way—trampling workers’ rights, funneling dues into partisan politics, and silencing dissent. Enough is enough. It’s time to crack down on out-of-control union bosses and restore the voice and the freedom of the American worker.”

The Fair Access to Justice for Union Members Act supports workers’ rights by ensuring they can go directly to court to protect their rights under federal law — without waiting months for the very union violating those rights to decide their fate. 

The second piece of legislation, the Ask the Union Members Act, strengthens workers’ rights to ensure that decisions with major personal and national consequences, such as going on strike or negotiating contracts, receive approval from members through secret ballot elections. 

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg said, “The Fair Access to Justice for Union Members Act and the Ask the Union Members Act put power back where it belongs — in the hands of rank-and-file members. Too often, an individual’s voice is drowned out by his or her union leadership, rather than amplified. These bills protect members from being sidelined by lengthy internal processes or decisions made without their input and reaffirm that unions function best when the people they represent are fully informed, fully heard, and fully empowered.” 

Read the full piece of legislation for the Fair Access to Justice for Union Members Act and the Ask the Union Members Act.

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