# The RAISE Act Explained

The RAISE Act changes labor law to allow employers to pay individual workers more than what their union contract says they have to pay. Right now, if a company has a union contract that sets wages for a group of workers, the employer generally can't pay some workers more than others in that group—everyone at the same level gets the same pay. This bill removes that restriction, letting employers give raises or bonuses to individual employees even if the union contract doesn't allow it.

The practical effect is that your boss could now offer you a higher wage than your coworkers doing the same job, even if you're all covered by the same union agreement. This could happen if your employer wants to reward you for good performance, keep you from leaving for another job, or simply pay you more for any reason. The bill specifically says that neither the National Labor Relations Act nor any union contract can stop an employer from doing this.

Supporters of this bill argue it gives employers flexibility to reward their best workers and compete for talent. Critics worry it could undermine union contracts and create pay inequality among workers doing identical jobs. For workers in unions, this means your contract's wage protections might matter less in practice, since your employer could now legally pay coworkers different amounts. For non-union workers, this change doesn't directly affect you since you don't have a collective bargaining agreement to begin with.

RAISE Act

Johnson, Dusty

Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act or the RAISE Act This bill declares that neither a labor organization's exclusive representation of employees in a bargaining unit, nor&nbsp;the terms of a collective bargaining contract or agreement entered into after enactment of this bill, shall prohibit an employer from paying an employee higher wages, pay, or other compensation than provided for in the contract or agreement.