Contact Congress about H.R. 20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
This bill rewrites federal labor law to make it easier for workers to unionize and harder for employers to interfere. It raises penalties for companies that break the rules, lets workers sue employers directly, and overrides state laws that ban required union fees.
Modern Action explains legislation in plain English, helps you choose whether to support, oppose, or ask for changes, and drafts a message tied to the bill, your stance, and the elected officials who can act on it.
Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 is a House bill in committee. The latest recorded action: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Latest action on H.R. 20: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Who this affects: This bill mainly affects workers and employers across most private-sector industries. Workers who are currently treated as independent contractors or who work for staffing agencies or franchises could gain new union rights. Employers, especially those in industries with active organizing campaigns, would face stricter rules and higher penalties. Unions would gain new tools for organizing, collecting fees, and bargaining. States that have passed right-to-work laws would see those laws overridden for private-sector workers.
Why this matters: Current federal labor law was largely written in the 1930s and 1940s, and critics on both sides say it no longer matches today's economy. This bill would be the most significant update to union and collective bargaining law in decades. Whether it strengthens workplace democracy or imposes costly new burdens on businesses depends on your perspective, but the changes would be felt across virtually every private-sector industry in the country.
Key provisions in H.R. 20
- Changes the definition of employee under federal labor law using an ABC test: a worker is an employee unless they are free from the company's control, do work outside the company's usual business, and have their own independent business of the same type.
- Broadens the joint-employer standard so two or more companies count as employers together if they share or hold back control over key job terms like pay and scheduling, including through indirect or reserved control.
- Narrows the supervisor definition by requiring supervisory duties for a majority of work time and removing 'assign' and 'responsibly to direct' from the list of functions that make someone a supervisor.
- Creates new unfair labor practices, including: using or threatening to use permanent replacement workers during strikes; certain lockouts to pressure workers before a strike; misclassifying workers as not covered by federal labor law; forcing workers to attend anti-union meetings on company time; and requiring workers to waive their right to join class-action or collective lawsuits.
- Requires employers to post notices about workers' rights under federal labor law both physically and electronically, tell each new employee about their rights, and give unions detailed voter lists with contact and job information in searchable electronic format.
How Modern Action helps you take action on H.R. 20
You do not have to start with a blank letter. Modern Action turns the bill, your position, and the relevant congressional context into a message you can edit and send. The goal is to make contacting Congress clear, specific, and useful without forcing you to parse bill text or figure out the right office on your own.
Questions people ask about H.R. 20
- What is H.R. 20?
- This bill rewrites federal labor law to make it easier for workers to unionize and harder for employers to interfere. It raises penalties for companies that break the rules, lets workers sue employers directly, and overrides state laws that ban required union fees.
- How do I support or oppose H.R. 20?
- Choose support, oppose, or ask for changes on Modern Action. The action flow drafts the message for you and keeps the wording tied to this bill.
- Who should I contact about H.R. 20?
- Modern Action uses your location to route the action to the congressional offices relevant to the bill and your representation.
- Can Modern Action explain H.R. 20 before I act?
- Yes. Modern Action gives you a plain-English summary, current status, and action context before you send anything.
