No images? Click here GCCA Joins Coalition Letter Sent to Senate HELP Committee Opposing the PRO ActOn Thursday, July 22, 2021, ahead of the Senate HELP Committee’s hearing to discuss the PRO Act, GCCA joined over 280 organizations in sending a letter to committee leadership opposing the PRO Act. The legislation would violate workers’ free choice and privacy rights, jeopardize industrial stability, cost millions of American jobs, threaten vital supply chains, and greatly hinder our economic recovery from COVID-19. The PRO Act includes dozens of provisions that would boost union membership and dues revenue streams at the expense of the rights of workers, employers, and consumers alike. If you have not done so already, GCCA strongly encourages you to take action on this harmful piece of legislation HERE! GCCA Meets with the Senate Agriculture CommitteeOn Thursday, July 22, 2021, Lowell Randel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Jordan Bonfitto, Director of Government Affairs met with staff from the Senate Agriculture Committee to discuss policy issues impacting the cold chain. Some of the topics that were discussed were food supply chain technology, regulatory flexibility, labor constraints, and capacity and infrastructure issues. GCCA looks forward to continuing to advocate for the cold chain as Congress considers potential legislation impacting our industry. Infrastructure and Budget Plans Stall in SenateBoth parts of President Joe Biden’s two-track economic agenda ran into some roadblocks on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Senate Republicans stymied efforts to open floor debate on a $579 billion infrastructure package, the latest sign of the challenges that come with trying to advance the yet-to-be-written legislation. The vote, called by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was meant to push the process along, but the bipartisan group of lawmakers hashing out the details say they will need more time. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said they may be able to secure enough Republican votes—at least 10 are needed—for the procedural vote early this week. Separately, Democrats in the Senate are trying to coalesce around a $3.5 trillion budget package that would advance Biden’s economic and climate change-fighting initiatives. Schumer had set a Wednesday deadline for an agreement on top-line spending levels. But Senate Budget Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he hopes that proposal will be ready for a floor vote by early August. How Unions Are Handling the PRO Act in Budget TalksPublicly, union leaders remain adamant that they are committed to getting the PRO Act to President Joe Biden’s desk in its entirety. But privately, they’ve been taking a different tack with the sweeping labor law overhaul. Leading Senate Democrats agreed to add a major part of the PRO Act—monetary penalties for employers who violate workers’ union rights—to the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill. The thinking was that the monetary-penalties proposal is the part that has the best chance of passing with the Senate parliamentarian, who must ensure that elements of the reconciliation measure pertain to budgetary matters. That proposal would amount to a major change to the National Labor Relations Act—and a huge win for unions—if it were to become law. It would allow the government for the first time to fine employers for violating workers’ rights. The National Labor Relations Board under the PRO Act could levy up to $100,000 in penalties for repeat offenders, though it wasn’t clear if Democrats plan to adjust what’s added to the budget bill. Abruzzo Confirmed as NLRB Top Lawyer by VP Harris TiebreakOn Wednesday, July 21, 2021, the divided U.S. Senate confirmed union lawyer Jennifer Abruzzo to serve as general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board on a party-line vote that reflected the deep political and legal discord over the agency’s future course. Senate Democrats needed a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris to confirm Abruzzo 51-50, capping a months-long battle that began when President Joe Biden fired the independent agency’s Trump-era top lawyer, Peter Robb. Robb’s Inauguration Day firing broke with precedent and prompted sharp criticism from Republicans as well as business advocates. Employers have since mounted broad legal challenges in NLRB cases, arguing that Biden lacked authority to fire the Senate-confirmed general counsel of an independent agency without cause. Robb’s term was due to expire in November. |