Lead Paragraph: Paletuatoa Peniamina today received the endorsement of the Culinary Union, one of the largest and most influential labor unions in the country, and pledged to sign the PRO Act on his first day in office—legislation that would protect workers' right to organize and bargain collectively.

Key Quotes:

"The PRO Act is the most important piece of labor legislation in generations. It protects the right to organize. It cracks down on union-busting. It makes sure that when workers want to form a union, they can do so without fear of retaliation."

"I'll sign the PRO Act on my first day in office. Not my first week. Not my first month. Day one."

"The Culinary Union has fought for decades for better wages, better benefits, better lives for its members. They know that when workers stand together, they win. That's the fight I'm in. That's the fight I'll win."

"We're going to raise the minimum wage. We're going to end the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. We're going to make sure that every worker who wants a union can have one. Because when workers win, America wins."

Key Policy Points:

PRO Act: Protects the right to organize; eliminates "right to work" laws at the federal level; strengthens penalties for labor law violations.

Raise the Wage: Increase federal minimum wage to $17/hour, indexed to inflation; end sub-minimum wage for tipped workers.

Card Check: Allow workers to form unions through majority sign-up, without a mandatory secret ballot election.

Pension Protection: Strengthen the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; protect multi-employer pension plans.

Worker Misclassification: Crack down on employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid paying benefits.