Throughout his time in office, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) has been a fierce advocate for Montana’s working families, including workers’ rights to form and join unions, and to bargain collectively for fair wages, good benefits and safe working conditions.
Montana’s workers show up day in and day out to power our state’s economy, and I’ll always have their backs. I voted to hold large corporations accountable and ensure that workers will have a seat at the table to bargain for a fair wage and reasonable working conditions.
Sen. Jon Tester
Protecting Workers’ Rights
Sen. Tester is an original co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (the PRO Act), a top legislative priority of the labor movement which strengthens worker power by protecting our rights to organize, bargain and go on strike.
“I’ve watched the middle class continue to decline, and I’ve watched the unions decline pretty dramatically over the last 40 years in particular. That’s not good for the country, and certainly not good for working men and women,” Sen. Tester said. “We are long past time to get something passed that helps workers in this country. The PRO act is going to address a number of issues that have plagued American workers for decades.”
The PRO Act takes a comprehensive approach to restoring the balance of power in the workplace by blocking intimidating union-busting tactics, speeding the time frame for union elections, providing new protections for workers against employer retaliation, and helping newly organized workers secure a first contract faster by establishing mediation and arbitration procedures.
Securing and protecting jobs
Sen. Tester works to ensure that major federal legislation incorporates the needs of working families, including the right to unions and good wages.
- Sen. Tester voted for the American Rescue Plan that saved the jobs of public employees and airline workers, and rescued the multiemployer pension plans covering more than a million union members and retirees.
- Sen. Tester voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which supported millions of jobs in construction and manufacturing , with strong protections for union rights and prevailing wages. The act also strengthened “Buy America” rules.
- Sen. Tester voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which will create hundreds of thousands of American manufacturing jobs, in addition to reducing prescription drug prices for seniors and lowering energy costs.
- Sen. Tester voted for the CHIPS Act, which grows U.S. supply chains for semiconductor chip manufacturing and ensures that the two new semiconductor plants being built with federal money will employ union-trained workers.
Standing with postal workers
Sen. Tester is fighting alongside members of the American Postal Workers Union to halt plans to consolidate and close mail processing centers in Montana and nationwide.
Sen. Tester fiercely opposed plans by the USPS to close Missoula’s mail processing center and move its operations to Spokane; his repeated objections eventually caused
Postmaster Louis DeJoy to pause all processing center consolidation plans nationwide.
“I had no doubt in my mind Senator Tester would help us and answer the call, and you guys have,” said Robert Hopp, President of the American Postal Workers Union Local #113. “You’ve been by our side every step of the way,”
In May 2024, Sen. Tester introduced the Protecting Access to Rural Carriers for Every Location (PARCEL) Act – legislation to prohibit unnecessary and harmful consolidation of mail processing operations nationwide.
Standing for bargaining rights
Tester stood with workers to uphold the National Labor Relations Board’s new Joint Employer Rule, which helps prevent corporations from dodging accountability for their workers by hiding behind subcontracting and outsourcing.
“At the end of the day, hardworking Montanans deserve the respect to negotiate directly with the company that is calling the shots,” Sen. Tester said.