One provision would make it almost impossible for many Americans to work independently.

The reconciliation bill will include the “PRO Act.” Among other changes, the PRO Act writes California’s AB 5 into federal law.

AB 5 made classifying workers as independent contractors hard, converting many into employees.

Gig workers set their own schedules and decide who to work with.

Federal law generally treats them as independent contractors.

Labor unions dislike that; they cannot unionize the self-employed.

Unions would much rather that the companies gig workers contract with formally employ them.

Unions wrote AB 5 and lobbied the California legislature to pass it.

The bill turned most gig workers and freelancers into employees, along with many other independent contractors.

This hurt self-employed Californians up and down the state.

Being able to work from home and set their own schedule is often essential for them.

Similarly, their caregivers often need to work from home or control their schedules.

The PRO Act would import AB 5’s self-employment test into the federal National Labor Relations Act – with no exceptions

Everyone that California’s overwhelmingly Democratic legislature recognized needed out would become an employee under federal law

And many currently self-employed Americans will share the pain of the California woman who lamented: “I lost my job of 12 years as a medical transcriptionist because of #AB5