Nevada committee urges Congress to consider PRO Act; unions press for federal labor reform

The Nevada Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections heard testimony on Assembly Joint Resolution 11, a measure urging Congress to enact the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, during a hearing in which labor leaders pressed for stronger federal protections for union organizing and business groups warned of consequences for Nevada’s labor environment.

Assemblymember Ruben Da Silva presented AJR 11 and described the PRO Act as a federal bill intended to strengthen workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain. "The PRO Act addresses these issues by reinforcing the fundamental rights of workers to unionize and collectively bargain without fear of retaliation," Da Silva said, summarizing provisions described in his presentation.

Susie Martinez, executive secretary-treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO, testified in strong support, citing Nevada’s union history and saying the legislation would ensure "fairness, justice, and opportunity for working people across our state and the nation." Ross Kinston and other union representatives cited statistics and examples to argue that stronger remedies are necessary when employers violate labor law; Kinston noted worker pay and health-care differences between union and nonunion workers.

Supporters provided examples from Nevada’s labor history and contemporary organizing struggles. A representative of Culinary Workers Union Local 226 described long-running efforts to organize station casinos and said current remedies under the National Labor Relations Act were insufficient to overcome employer resistance.

Opposition testimony focused on Nevada’s right-to-work status and potential economic effects. Paul Moratkin of the Las Vegas Chamber said the chamber opposes the PRO Act at the national level because it would weaken right-to-work protections and could increase costs for Nevada employers. Caller opposition also raised concerns that stronger union rules could raise costs for independent and small creative productions.

Committee members heard from a broad cross-section of unions and labor allies in support — including the Nevada State AFL-CIO, Culinary Union, Building and Construction Trades, teachers’ and public-employee representatives and film and entertainment unions — and a smaller number of business and chamber representatives in opposition. No formal committee vote or adoption of AJR 11 took place during the hearing; the committee closed the hearing after testimony and left no formal action recorded in the transcript.

The hearing record shows both sustained support from organized labor and specific business-sector opposition; the committee did not refer AJR 11 to a final vote during the session captured in the transcript.