HELP Ranking Member DeSaulnier Opening Remarks on Union Power
WASHINGTON – Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) delivered the following opening statement at today’s HELP Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Out of Touch: When Union Politics Leave Workers Behind.”
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.
“Let me start with a simple truth: President Trump’s economy is not working for workers. Inflation has outpaced wage growth in recent months, and American workers are taking home a smaller share of the economic pie than they have in decades. That is not an accident. That is the direct result of corporations and wealthy special interests wielding outsized influence over this Administration and over Congress.
“According to a new report from Public Citizen, corporations have spent nearly $1.7 billion on federal elections since the Citizens United decision in 2010 and $646 million of that has come in this election cycle alone, a record for any midterm in history.
“Too often, Republicans in this Congress have sided with corporate interests over working families and that includes repeatedly attacking labor unions. Workers join unions so they can have a voice strong enough to be heard. You cannot lift up workers while tearing down the very organizations that represent them, protect them, and bargain on their behalf. Being pro-worker requires acknowledging that unions are not outside forces—they are the voice of workers themselves. While elected officials may not agree with every action or statement made, workers’ unions act based on the interests and beliefs of their members. That includes advocating for policies that uplift their membership and supporting candidates who will fight for them, regardless of political affiliation.
The reality is this: it is Committee Republicans who are out of touch. Today, union popularity is at a record-high of 71 percent, according to Gallup’s annual poll. Americans overwhelmingly understand that unions remain one of the most effective tools workers have to negotiate a better life for them and their families. And yet, despite record-high public support and worker organizing skyrocketing over the last several years, union membership remains low: just 10 percent of U.S. workers belong to a union.
“Why is this happening? It’s not because workers don’t want to have unions. Tens of millions say they would join one today if they could. It’s because the economy is stacked against them and an outdated labor law no longer does enough for the people it was written to protect.
“That imbalance shows up everywhere you look. From 1979 to 2023, wages for the bottom 90 percent of Americans rose 44 percent, while income for the top 1 percent skyrocketed by more than 180 percent. That's not a market outcome — that's a policy choice, made year after year by people who had the power to choose differently. And over the last two years, Republicans have prioritized corporate interests over working families and done nothing to lower the cost of living or improve working people's lives. Instead, millions of people are losing their health care while corporations and the wealthy enjoy tax breaks due to Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Bill.’
“Committee Democrats have a different vision, one where working people have power instead of billionaires. That's why we must pass the Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO Act, which would be the most significant reform to labor law in nearly 90 years. The PRO Act ensures workers can freely organize and reap the benefits of a union — bigger paychecks, better benefits, and safer workplaces. And alongside it, we must pass the LET'S Protect Workers Act, which holds law-breaking companies accountable by raising penalties for worker rights violations.
“So today, I hope we can have an honest conversation about the real issues facing workers, rather than the same attacks on unions we have heard again and again in this Subcommittee.
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.”
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