Today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a final rule on union elections that will give workers adequate time to make an informed decision on whether or not to join a union. Republican Workforce Leaders on the Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), issued the following statement in support of the rule:
“We applaud the NLRB for amending the harmful Obama-era ambush election rule. The controversial 2014 rule drastically altered union election policies, crippling workers’ rights in order to benefit union bosses. Workers around the country deserve the opportunity to be fully informed before a union election is held, and today’s rule will ensure that ambush elections are a thing of the past.
“While today’s NLRB rule is welcome news, we must not lose sight of the broader fight to safeguard workers’ rights. Committee Democrats continue to push for enactment of H.R. 2474, the misnamed PRO Act, a radical, sweeping bill that will allow union leaders to consolidate power, coerce workers, line their own pockets, and bolster their own political agendas. Specifically, the PRO Act will make ambush union elections the law and will invade the privacy of workers, forcing employers to hand over employees’ personal information to unions.
“Instead of working to take our labor laws backwards, Democrats on the Education and Labor Committee should use their time to investigate union corruption and advance policies that protect workers’ rights and restore fairness in federal labor law.”
Background: Issued during the Obama administration, the NLRB ambush election rule arbitrarily limited the ability of employers to prepare for union elections, and delayed answers to important questions – like voter eligibility – until after the election. The rule drastically shortened the timeframe for union elections, from an average of 35 days to as few as just 11 days, leaving workers insufficient opportunity to be fully informed before voting. The 2014 rule also jeopardized worker privacy by providing employees’ names, home and email addresses, work schedules, phone numbers, and other personal information to union organizers even if workers objected. Committee Republicans repeatedly opposed this harmful rule and submitted a comment letter to the NLRB in 2018 urging the Board to rescind the 2014 rule.
