Charlice Byrd

What the PRO Act Means for Workers

BY CHARLICE BYRD

Cherokee County is on the move. According to the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, our county has tripled in population in the past three decades, attracted good jobs and kept taxes low.

But, thanks to the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act being debated in Congress (www.congress.gov/ bill/117th-congress/house-bill/842/text), that could change. The act likely would make businesses and workers easier prey for labor union organizers.

Georgia is a right-to-work state. The PRO Act could benefit union bosses over small businesses. One provision would void Georgia’s right-to-work law, according to www.gachamber.com/pro-act-georgia. This law protects workers from being forced to join a union or to pay union dues as a condition of their employment.

Many believe this law has been a key ingredient of our local and regional economic success. According to the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, right-to-work states have stronger economic growth and faster private sector job growth than states in which union membership is compulsory.

If the PRO Act were to become law, Cherokee workers could lose their right to a secret ballot in union elections. Instead, the PRO Act would mandate a system called card check, in which workers’ preference for, or opposition to, forming a union would be public. It’s not hard to envision a scenario under which this provision could lead to intimidation tactics by overzealous labor organizers, especially when coupled with a separate provision that puts personal worker information into the hands of those same organizers (www.gachamber.com/pro-act-georgia).

Many workers in the gig economy, such as ride-share drivers or freelance writers, appreciate the flexibility of jobs that allow them to ratchet their hours up or down depending on their lifestyle. The PRO Act would reclassify them as employees, likely eliminating thousands of these jobs in Georgia alone.

Currently, the PRO Act is stalled in the Senate. Cherokee County employers and workers need our U.S. senators to support the interests of job creators and workers by opposing the PRO Act in whatever legislative form it takes.

Thank you all for allowing me to represent Georgia House of Representatives District 20. It is an honor to work for you and this great state. If you have any feedback, call 404-557-2218, email charlice.byrd@house.ga.gov or engage on Facebook.

Rep. Charlice Byrd represents District 20 in the Georgia House of Representatives. charlice.byrd@house.ga.gov.

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College ESSENTIALS 101

RACHEL MURPHY

Rachel, a 2015 graduate of Etowah High School, graduated from Mercer University School of Law in May with her Juris Doctor degree. Rachel recently completed the Georgia Bar Exam and will be working for the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office in Canton.

What were your dorm essentials?

Other than the obvious things like chargers, extension cords, power strips ... stackable storage containers with drawers were a good space saver, especially when having to share a bathroom with little or no drawer space. Also, my first year of college, I had to do all of my laundry in the dorm laundry facility, so having lots of quarters on hand is a must.

I did not get an air fryer until I got to law school, and it changed my world! Definitely wish I had one in college. My rice cooker and Crockpot were huge lifesavers. I would mealprep and freeze a lot of meals. I could easily grab one out of the freezer, stick it in the Crockpot for a few hours and have lunch or dinner with little prep work/cleanup.

What are your packing tips?

One thing I tried to do to save space was to consolidate small things within large things. For example, if you have a lot of tennis shoes, you can store socks inside the shoes to save space.

Also, if you run out of bags for your clothes, keep the clothes on hangers and place them inside a trash bag. Tie the bag shut by wrapping the garbage ties around the hangers; that way, your clothes are more likely to stay flat. When you get there, you can hang up the hangers and cut away the trash bag. This saves a lot of time when unpacking as well; plus, the hangers provide a good handle when transporting the bags. When packing a car, I recommend using towels or blankets to line your seats and trunk to make sure you aren't scraping your car or damaging the interior.

How can you meet new friends?

Get involved as much as you can! Making friends when you first get to college can be hard, especially if you are going to a school where you don’t know anyone. Getting involved in clubs, organizations, campus jobs, school events, etc. helps you meet new people easily. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. A lot of other people may be feeling apprehensive about going to these events alone, so you might meet others in your same position and quickly bond over that small thing.

Recent Graduates Offer Advice for New College Students

High school graduates walked across the stage in May and, soon, many will be packing up and heading off to college. It’s common to get butterflies on the first day of school, but moving away from home for the first time can be even more daunting. To put the minds of first-time college students at ease, recent graduates from Cherokee County shared expert advice.

ANSLEY CARTWRIGHT

Ansley graduated from the University of Georgia in May with her master’s degree in public relations. She recently accepted a position as the marketing coordinator at Brown & Brown. In 2019, as a rising college sophomore, she wrote a packing list article for Aroundabout magazines (https://bit.ly/3nowTHQ). Here is her perspective as a graduate:

Despite all of the courses you took in high school and the conversations you had with your guidance counselor, it’s hard to feel fully prepared for college. Getting ready to go off to school can be overwhelming, from trying to fit your life into a shoebox-sized dorm room to fitting half of it back in your car to take home when you realize you don’t need everything after all. The last-minute items you shoved in your suitcase will be the ones you use daily and the decorative pillows you splurged on probably will spend the semester on the floor. Through the challenging first weeks, you will learn and grow more than you ever thought possible in such a short period of time.

Don’t forget the necessities.

While picking out the perfect decor may be more fun, you might regret not prioritizing the essentials when you’re stuck in Target with every other freshman, fighting for the last pack of Command strips or offbrand paper towels.

Bring an extension cord that can reach from the floor to your lofted bed. Pack more hangers, buy a box of trash bags, and toss in some medicine, because — without a doubt — you will need it. Unless you stay on top of your health, you might just spend your entire first year with the freshman flu. Pack disinfectant wipes, take your vitamins and at least try to get some sleep.

There always will be something you forget.

You won’t realize you forgot to pack an umbrella until it's already raining. Even if you aren’t a STEM student, there will be at least one time you will need a calculator for class, and it will be the day the bookstore is sold out. You won’t think about extra storage until you’re out of room.

You might think you will eat in the dining hall for every meal until you see your roommate come home with Easy Mac and a side of microwave popcorn. Bring your favorite snacks. Pack Tupperware to bring dining hall food back to the dorms. Bring a Keurig, enough K-Cups to last you through your first week of exams and to-go cups.

Think out of the box.

With the luxury of Amazon and online shopping, it’s easy to pack your deliveries the way they arrive. But, take items out of their shipping boxes to consolidate space. Pack clothes and bedding in soft bags that can easily squeeze into the extra space boxes can’t.

Try to unpack larger items first, and take the elevator up to your dorm and the stairs down. Get there early. The lobby of your dorm will soon look like a line for a ride at Six Flags, but where everyone is carrying furniture. Set up your side of the room before or after your roommate. With tiny dorm rooms, the fewer people trying to unpack at the same time, the better.

Come with an open mind.

The greatest advice is to come to college completely willing to try new things and meet new people. Introduce yourself more often than you might be comfortable with. Start conversations with something other than “Where are you from?” I like to ask people their zodiac sign, because, even if they don’t know it, they probably have an opinion on it they’re going to want to talk about.

Visit a club even if it's just for the free food. If someone asks you to go to the dining hall or hang out in their dorm or study together, go. Try to get to know your teaching assistants and professors.

Enjoy this time in your life when you are constantly growing. You’re never going to be fully prepared for when your parents leave and you are finally on your own, but you’re going to be able to handle whatever comes next.