Democratic presidential nominee Paletuatoa Peniamina said Friday that he would sign the PRO Act on his first day in office, making labor rights and wage policy a central part of his campaign message as the general election takes shape. In a campaign press release, Peniamina said “the union way is the American way” and argued that workers should have stronger protections to organize and bargain collectively. He also pledged to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour, index it to inflation, and eliminate the tipped subminimum wage. The release framed the proposal as both personal and political. Peniamina said his family had worked in oil fields and refineries and described firsthand familiarity with economic change and labor organizing. “I know the power of a union card,” he said in the statement. “I know that when workers stand together, they win.” According to the campaign, Peniamina’s labor agenda would include support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, commonly known as the PRO Act, which the release said would protect the right to organize and eliminate “right-to-work” laws at the federal level. The statement also called for strengthening the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation as part of a broader worker-protection platform. Peniamina used the release to draw a contrast with Republicans, saying “the other side wants to weaken unions” and make organizing more difficult. The statement did not address how he would pursue the agenda through Congress, where legislation would depend on support in the federal government. Under the current balance of power in DynamicSim, Republicans hold 26 Senate seats, while Democrats have 23 seats and one Independent caucuses with Democrats. The announcement continues a pattern in Peniamina’s recent campaign messaging. Earlier this month, he released statements from Detroit and Las Vegas emphasizing organized labor, including a picket-line appearance in Nevada and a speech declaring that “the union way is the American way.” On Friday, he expanded that message into a more detailed wage and labor policy package. The proposal arrives as economic pressures remain a major issue in national politics. Cost of living is one of the highest-salience issues in the current climate, and both parties have been trying to speak to voters’ concerns about pay, prices, and economic security. Peniamina’s new release appears aimed at union households, service workers, and voters who favor a more active federal role in labor standards. His campaign also tied the minimum wage proposal to tipped workers, saying it would end the current $2.13 hourly base wage for servers and bartenders. Supporters of that approach generally argue it would provide more stable income for workers whose pay can fluctuate with customer traffic and tips. The release did not provide an implementation timeline beyond the first-day pledge on the PRO Act. No response from Republican opponents was included in the release. Recent campaign developments on the other side have focused on different themes. Republicans scheduled their April 23 convention in Pittsburgh with an emphasis on crime, religious freedom, and immigration, and Montgomery recently named North Dakota Senator Bob Hastings as a running mate. Peniamina has also recently rolled out an education plan centered on teacher pay, school funding, and debt relief, suggesting his campaign is building out a broader economic platform alongside its labor message. The new labor plank is likely to reinforce his standing with Democratic-aligned labor activists and could sharpen the policy contrast in a race unfolding in a polarized national environment. Whether the issue breaks through beyond core supporters may depend on how the campaign connects union rights and wage policy to broader concerns about household finances, stability, and economic change. For now, the release places workers’ rights and pay at the center of Peniamina’s latest case to voters.