Center-Right Leaders Oppose Sen. Hawley’s Labor Framework

Americans for Tax Reform and the Center for Worker Freedom joined a coalition of more than 20 center-right leaders on a letter to members of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday expressing opposition to Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) labor policy “framework.”

In January, Sen. Hawley began circulating his labor framework, which includes several leftwing proposals similar to the Democrats’ flagship labor package known as the “PRO Act.” Among other provisions, the framework calls for speeding up union election timelines and limiting employer speech, which would empower union bosses by depriving workers of full information prior to a vote. A version of this provision was recently introduced as legislation by Sen. Hawley and several Senate Democrats as the “Faster Labor Contracts Act.”

Read the full letter here or below:

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March 26, 2025

Dear Members of the United States Senate,

We write to express our deep concern about Senator Josh Hawley’s proposed labor framework. The framework has no meaningful differences from the Democrats’ so called “PRO” Act, which has been rejected repeatedly by the U.S. Senate. While the draft legislation is billed as a means to empower workers, instead it dramatically empowers unions at the expense of workers. It will harm workers, job creators, and the economy as a whole.

The proposed “framework” is a fundamental backward shift in labor law, prioritizing special interests at the expense of workers’ freedom of choice and small business autonomy and speech:

• It deprives workers of both the time and information needed to make an informed choice
  on whether or not to join a union.
• It mandates union organizing elections be within just 20 business days, significantly
  limiting workers’ time to fully understand the implications of joining a union.
• It includes no corresponding provisions to help workers conduct decertification elections
  when a majority express interest in removing a union from their workplace. This is the
  definition of one- sided—and workers are on the losing side.

The “framework” allows federal bureaucrats to dictate union contracts—trapping workers, employers, and even unions into terms they might not have chosen on their own. Requiring employers to enter into binding agreements with unions within a rigid government-imposed timeline mutes workers’ voices and employers’ wishes, which are better balanced via negotiations.

By significantly increasing penalties for alleged violations of labor laws, including the possibility of direct legal action, the “framework” puts small businesses at a distinct disadvantage. This will particularly hurt job creators who lack the legal resources to navigate such complex and costly litigation. Small businesses could even be forced to close due to minor violations of complicated federal law. Yet, the “framework” makes no mention of increased penalties on labor organizations for potential violations of federal labor law another glaring lack of balance.

The “framework” also infringes on employers’ ability to communicate with their own employees inside their own workplace, a draconian restriction that will deprive workers of the information they need to make an informed decision on unionization. The “framework” does not include any protections for workers from union abuse, despite a long history of unions harassing and intimidating workers they seek to pressure into organizing. It also requires employers post notice of workers’ labor rights while including no mention that workers also have a federally protected right to decertify their union. Nor does it mention that in more than half the states, workers have the right to opt out of union membership and all associated dues and fees.

This “framework” overlooks the vital needs of workers and small businesses, especially the realities faced by workers who do not want to be forced into unionization. We urge you to oppose this “framework” in its current form and instead pursue balanced labor policies that empower workers while ensuring the continued growth and viability of small businesses across the country.

There are countless ways to protect and empower workers without undermining their autonomy and hampering job creators’ ability to work with their employees. We stand ready to work with you on policies that protect workers, promote small businesses, and usher in a new era of shared opportunity and prosperity for all.

Sincerely,

Marty Connors, Chairman, Alabama Center Right Coalition

Brent Gardner, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for Prosperity

Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

Kristen Swearingen, Vice President, Legislative and Political Affairs, Associated Builders and Contractors

Will Swaim, President, California Policy Center

Russ Brown, President, Center for Independent Employees

Rowan Saydlowski, Director, Center for Worker Freedom

Chuck Muth, President, Citizen Outreach

Sean Higgins, Research Fellow, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Maxford Nelsen, Director of Research and Government Affairs, Freedom Foundation

Vance Ginn, Ph.D., President, Ginn Economic Consulting and Former Chief Economist, Trump 45 White House OMB

Jonathan Riches, Vice President for Litigation & General Counsel, Goldwater Institute

Mailee Smith, Senior Director of Labor Policy, Illinois Policy

Patrice Onwuka, Director, Center for Economic Opportunity, Independent Women

F. Vincent Vernuccio, President, Institute for the American Worker

Steve Delie, Director of Labor Policy, Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Brandon Arnold, Executive Vice President, National Taxpayers Union

Jeff Kropf, President, Oregon Taxpayer Coalition

Stephen Stepanek, President, Pine Tree Public Policy Institute

Mike Stenhouse, CEO & Publisher, Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity

Paul Gessing, President, Rio Grande Foundation

Tony Daunt, Senior Director, Workers for Opportunity

Heather Greenaway, Executive Director, Workforce Fairness Institute