BY NADIA RAMLAGAN
Kentucky News Connection

Labor groups in Kentucky and across the nation are pushing for the next administration to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act.

The legislation would reform existing labor laws to clamp down on union-busting tactics and strengthen workers’ rights during organizing and bargaining with their employers.

Bowling Green resident Tim O’Hara is the former president of United AutoWorkers 1112, based in Youngstown, Ohio.

He said he’s seen the impact of anti-labor policies after the General Motor’s Lordstown Complex – where he worked for more than four decades – closed its doors in 2019.

He said he believes the PRO Act will help strengthen unions and update outdated labor laws.

“Unions always face uphill battles whenever they try to organize a workplace,” said O’Hara. “I mean, there’s always the companies against them. A lot of times there’s laws that are against them. So it’s always an uphill battle.”

Union membership is increasing in the Commonwealth. Last year 8.8% of Kentucky workers were union members, compared with 7.9% in 2022, according to federal data.

On many state ballots this week, voters will decide on labor issues – including whether or not Uber, Lyft and other gig drivers can join unions – along with tipped worker pay policies, minimum wage policies and sick leave policies.

O’Hara said he believes the Biden-Harris administration has been supportive of unions.

“We’ve seen, the UAW and most other major unions are strongly for Kamala Harris,” said O’Hara. “She’s the only candidate that’s going to support unions and union workers.”

In 2024, seven in 10 Americans approve of labor unions, near a 60-year high, according to a recent Gallup Poll.