For decades, corporate profits have soared while wages for working people have stagnated. The gap between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us keeps growing — yet people are working harder than ever and producing more than ever. Why? Because massive corporations and their union-busting leadership have systematically weakened the right to organize, dramatically shifting power away from workers.

Union membership in the U.S. is near historic lows, and it’s not because workers don’t want to organize. Poll after poll shows strong public support for unions, but the law is stacked against them. Corporations exploit loopholes, illegally fire union organizers and activists, delay union elections, hold captive audience meetings to pressure workers, and use union-busting firms to intimidate workers without consequences. Meanwhile, tech startups and conglomerates regularly manipulate independent contractor designations to avoid minimum wage and workplace benefit requirements. As a result, power has shifted overwhelmingly from the shop floor to the C-suite, and millions of workers are left without a voice.

When workers can come together and bargain collectively, they win higher wages, better benefits, safer working conditions. This is true for both union and non-union workers, who also benefit from the higher standards achieved through collective bargaining agreements. Unions are among the most effective tools we have to reduce inequality and build a strong middle class. They’re also essential to racial, gender, and economic justice — helping to close pay gaps and protect frontline workers.

But the stakes go beyond individual workplaces. A healthy democracy depends on a thriving labor movement. When working people have real power, they can hold corporations accountable, demand a voice on the job, and win policies that benefit all of us.

I’ll champion legislation that restores the right to organize and builds worker power, including:

• Passing the PRO Act: This landmark bill would make it easier for workers to form unions, ban employer interference, and hold lawbreaking companies accountable with real penalties.

• Protecting Public Sector Unions: I’ll fight back against attacks on federal employees, teachers, nurses, and other public servants by defending their right to collectively bargain.

• Expanding Sectoral Bargaining and Worker Representation: Promote policies that allow entire industries — not just individual workplaces — to set fair labor standards. And workers should have representation on corporate boards of large companies, giving them a say along with shareholders.

• Banning Captive Audience Meetings: End the practice of forcing workers to attend anti-union propaganda sessions and captive audience meetings. Illinois has banned these meetings, and Congress should act too.

• Raising the Federal Minimum Wage: $7.25 an hour is an insult to American workers. The federal minimum wage should be raised to $17 an hour and indexed to inflation.
  

It’s time to put the power of the federal government back on the side of workers. I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with the labor movement and fight for a future where every job is a good job, and every worker has a voice.