On Capitol Hill, the House passed a major labor bill aimed at boosting the power of unions Tuesday. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act would protect the right to strike, prevent employment discrimination based on immigration status, and override states’ “right to work” laws, which allow employees to opt out of paying union dues. This is Congressmember Jamaal Bowman speaking on the House floor.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman: “The PRO Act seeks to empower workers, workers who build this country with their blood, sweat and tears, who work overtime and extra time and weekends and do not take a vacation, so that our economy can thrive. The PRO Act gives workers the opportunity to unionize and organize without being oppressed within the plantation capitalist system.”

The bill, which was first passed by the House last year when it was introduced, faces an uncertain battle in the Senate, where it would need a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority to pass.