The House of Representatives has approved the most significant labor rights bolstering since the New Deal, but the move appears to be subject to criticism from the Senate amid widespread Republican opposition.
The measure almost certainly hit the brick wall of the opposition in the Senate, where it would take 60 votes to push it forward.
Democrats, led by President Biden, have embraced the bill as central to their agenda during the pandemic. Longtime union allies, they believe that strengthening unions will be a powerful response to deepening economic and racial inequality and a means of bringing back working-class white voters who left the party for former President Donald Trump.
Business groups and most Republicans have fiercely opposed the measure, claiming it is a distribution to union leaders by Democrats seeking campaign donations. They argue that it will hurt workers, violate government rights and destroy businesses at a time when thousands of small companies are being phased out due to the economic turmoil associated with the coronavirus pandemic.