Maloney Statement in Opposition to HR 3094 - the Election Prevention Act

"Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose yet another attempt at rolling back workers’ rights, HR 3094, the Election Prevention Act. This assault on union employees is anti-democratic and harmful to the American middle class. Instead of legislation to create jobs and to grow the American workforce, the House Majority is attempting to undermine worker protections and put workers at risk.

"It is a strength of our democracy that employees have the freedom and the federal statutory right to choose whether or not to be represented by a union. However, this legislation would effectively end collective bargaining rights by putting power exclusively in the hands of employers. It gives employers the ability to delay indefinitely a union election, allowing for intimidation and harassment of employees. It does nothing to protect workers who are fired, threatened, or interrogated for exercising their right to form a union. It also prevents individuals to choose the coworkers with whom they wish to seek representation. Furthermore, this legislation incentivizes wasteful litigation prior to union elections and would increase taxpayer costs by creating a backlog of required findings on superfluous issues.

"Unions have helped to improve the wages and working conditions of all Americans and to grow the American middle class. This war on union employees that is being waged in states across the country and here on Capitol Hill must not continue. It is time for us to turn our efforts to strengthening protections for American working men and women as well as to helping those outside the workforce to find good jobs. I urge my colleagues to vote No."