Your Urgent Action Needed!
CLDA Members:
 
H.R. 842, known as the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 (or the PRO Act for short) is coming up this week for a floor vote in the House of Representatives. This is the same “PRO Act” advanced in 2019 by the House. That bill died in the Senate in 2020, but we are in a new political landscape now and House Democrats are looking to advance the PRO Act again.
 
The PRO Act would have many effects on the American economy (and these have been well documented by various news outlets). But there are several provisions of the PRO Act which we believe would be very harmful to CLDA member businesses. These include:

  • Imposing California’s stringent definition of “independent contractor” on the whole country, via a nationwide “ABC test”. This would, in effect, deny individuals the ability to work independently, threatening the large percentage of CLDA member companies which rely on the IC labor model, and taking away the flexibility that has allowed American businesses of all sizes to grow.

  • Codifying an expansive “joint employer” standard—meaning that businesses could suddenly face liability for workplaces they don’t control and workers they don’t employ.

  • Interfering with attorney-client confidentiality and making it harder for businesses, particularly small businesses, to secure legal advice on complex labor law matters.

Because passage of the PRO Act in its current form could truly be a devastating blow to our industry, we ask that you directly contact your Congressional ‎representatives this morning to stress the importance of voting against the PRO Act.
How to have an impact – CALL these Congressional offices TODAY!‎
 
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) 202-225-4965‎

  • House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23) 202-225-2915‎


Calling is the most effective way to make your voice heard in ‎Washington and has an outsized impact on the Congressional ‎decision-making process.‎
 
Use the language below to succinctly make our case.‎
Introduction: My name is ______ and I am an employee of _____. My ‎company is part of the courier industry, and we rely on and support independent contractors as a vital part of our business and industry.
 
Make the ask: I am writing you for your help to ensure that my business and my industry are not destroyed by the PRO Act. Despite how it has been described by some, the PRO Act would not help American workers or businesses. It would simply destroy those businesses and families which rely on the independent contractor model for their livelihoods.
 
  • It is wrong for Congress to create a legal definition for independent contractors that would make it impossible for ICs to find work with companies in their respective industries. This would effectively reclassify almost all independent contractors as employees. Not only would this destroy many businesses, but it would overrule the desires of most ICs, who choose the freedom that the IC model offers because they want this flexibility, not because they are forced or lack other options.

  • Studies of the IC workforce in the United States, including a 2018 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, have found that fewer than one in every ten ICs would prefer an employer-employee relationship. ICs choose this flexible work arrangement because they want to be their own bosses.

  • It is wrong of Congress to try to force this unwanted reclassification down the throats of the American people, especially while pretending that it is “what workers want.” The data shows that ICs choose work arrangements that offer flexibility. ICs, particularly in our industry, want to be “owner-operators” and not just “employees”.
 
Conclude: Thank you for your attention to this problem. I hope Congress ‎will avoid passing this damaging and unnecessary legislation, especially because the small business economy is still reeling from the COVID-19 ‎crisis.‎ Now is the worst possible time for massive changes to American labor laws. I urge you to vote against the PRO Act in order to help preserve the right of independent contractors to be their own bosses and prevent economic devastation in my industry and many others like it. 
‎Please circulate this call to action to your colleagues and enlist their ‎support. With more people contacting Washington, our chance for ‎success increases.‎
 
Thank you for your assistance and support in this matter. CLDA ‎Government Affairs staff will continue our work to represent your ‎interests in Washington and will keep you informed of our progress.‎