To the editor: 

I am the president of a utility construction company in Covington, Georgia. We do difficult work, specializing in water and sewer infrastructure construction, and we employ 37 employees to help get the job done. 

These are challenging times to run a business. The costs of supplies have gone up significantly over the past year. So has the time it takes to get materials from suppliers. The labor market since the pandemic hit has not rebounded and doesn’t appear to be in the near future.  It’s hard to hire people right now and, because of inflation, people are asking for more just to tread water.

Meanwhile, Congress is considering a bill called the PRO Act that would make matters even worse. 

The PRO Act is designed to help unions organize workplaces like ours, regardless of worker sentiment. It grants new powers to union leaders and federal bureaucrats that would make unionizing workplaces a virtual certainty. 

Among the most detrimental provisions of the PRO Act is its nullification of every state right-to-work law, meaning all workers in a union shop would be required to pay dues. Union dues in Georgia, a right-to-work state, average almost $1,000 per year. Does Congress really think Georgia workers can afford another $1,000 out of pocket during the worst inflation crisis in a generation? 

The PRO Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year. To date, the Senate has not taken action on the bill despite President Biden’s advocacy for the bill during his State of the Union Address. I strongly urge Georgia’s delegation to stand with small employers by opposing the PRO Act.

Brad Bettis

Covington