Protect Workers’ Right to Vote

A merican workers flocked to the Republican banner in the 2024 election, and now it’s time for the party to deliver for them. One of the most important things that President Trump and Republicans in Congress can do is give workers a real voice in unionization elections. Today, labor unions can gain control over an entire workplace when hardly any workers vote for them — and workers deserve basic protection before giving unions this monopoly power.

Yesterday, on April 1, one of us (Representative Onder) introduced a bill in Congress to empower more workers. The Worker Enfranchisement Act would require at least two-thirds of eligible workers to participate in a unionization election. If that threshold is cleared and the union wins, it gets the monopoly to represent all workers. If that threshold isn’t met, the election is invalid, because not enough workers had an opportunity to make their voices heard. Quorum requirements are common in Congress, state legislatures, and even the federal board that certifies union elections. Jobsites shouldn’t be different — not when workers’ futures are on the line.

This reform is necessary because unions can claim victory when only a minuscule number of workers vote. Last year at a concrete construction company, only 12.5 percent of eligible employees participated in an election the union won. In the United Football League, only 13 percent of players voted a union into power. To be clear, it’s not hard to meet a higher threshold. Most unionization elections have participation from more than two-thirds of eligible workers — over 80 percent of elections since October, according to federal data. If a union can’t meet such an attainable threshold, it shouldn’t gain monopoly power over every worker.

This reform ensures that when unions say they represent workers, they’re more likely to be correct. Under the status quo, unions can target the workers who are most likely to support unionization, while discouraging or ignoring workers who oppose them or are ambivalent. This isn’t speculation: Workers have testified before Congress that unions employ this tactic. A quorum requirement would stop them from taking workers for granted and encourage them to communicate with all the employees they want to represent.

American workers deserve fairness. According to research from the Institute for the American Worker, just 4.9 percent of current union members voted for the union that represents them, and the Worker Enfranchisement Act would begin to increase that number. If two-thirds of workers must participate in an election, unions can’t claim victory with the support of just a small number of people. And while unions may oppose a quorum requirement, it’s not exactly burdensome. They could still win an election with support from barely a third of the workers they want to represent. Is it too much to ask unions to win over a third of a workplace, instead of just 10 to 15 percent, if not less?

This bill is a stark contrast to the so-called “Protecting the Right to Organize” Act, which unions and their political allies have pushed for the past half-decade. Despite its name, the PRO Act would give unions even more power to ignore workers’ voices and coerce them against their will. A true pro-worker reform would protect the right to vote, which is exactly what the Worker Enfranchisement Act does.

American workers voted for Donald Trump and the Republican Party because they want a new era of opportunity, optimism, and prosperity. To make that happen, we need to empower workers. The Worker Enfranchisement Act will ensure that more workers can speak loud and clear and make the choice that’s best for them, their families, and their future. This is how Republicans can begin to deliver for workers, and the sooner the better.

Representative Bob Onder represents Missouri’s Third Congressional District. F. Vincent Vernuccio is president of the Institute for the American Worker.