NLRB overreach, death provides no relief edition

The NLRB overreach continues. Death is no excuse when the radicalized board is pursing its agenda.

From the Altoona Mirror:

President Barack Obama's National Labor Relations Board has been blatant in its pro-union bias, through actions such as attempting to keep Boeing from constructing an aircraft plant that could provide thousands of new jobs in South Carolina.

But the NLRB has reached a new low: Now, even death is not an excuse for failing to comply with an agency edict.

Earlier this year, the NLRB demanded a response from a Dayton, Ohio, company accused by a union of engaging in unfair labor practices.

The company, BLSI, LLC, had been owned by Gordon L. Wray Jr. Wray is dead. His estate is insolvent. Its administrator informed the NLRB of that and noted the company has ceased operations.

But the NLRB is pursuing the compliant because the company has not responded to it.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The more that the National Labor Relations Board resists releasing documents related to its ridiculous case against Boeing Co., the more it seems the NLRB has something to hide -- from both Congress and, now, from the public.

Because the NLRB hasn't complied with a July 14 Freedom of Information Act request, Judicial Watch is now suing in federal court to obtain those documents.

Meanwhile, the NLRB also is resisting subpoenas for the same sort of documents that U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., issued in his role as House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform chairman.

Both Judicial Watch and Rep. Issa believe the NLRB's case against Boeing is politically motivated. With the NLRB dominated by Democrat Obama appointees doing Big Labor's bidding by painting Boeing's new factory in right-to-work South Carolina as retaliation for past strikes at its unionized Washington state facilities, it's all too likely that the NLRB's withholding documents that would confirm their suspicions.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The Obama administration continues to promote one of its political benefactors. The National Labor Relations Board proposes to change rules regarding union elections.

Perhaps the most significant change relates to votes asking employees whether they want to be represented by unions. The NLRB would like to shorten the time between a union's petition to hold an election and the election. Under the new rules, a formal vote would occur within 10 days of a formal filing.

A snap vote would tilt the process toward unionists. Organizers could work behind the scenes before going public with their drives, thereby making it difficult for employers to respond in a timely manner. Snap elections would stifle debate.

Union elections are not lengthy exercises. They typically run for about a month. The only reason to change the system is to placate one of Obama's most partisan interest groups.

The Washington Examiner presents a "snap election" scenario:

One afternoon in 2012 a small-business owner receives notice from the NLRB that a local union has filed a petition for a unionization election. The owner had no idea that union activity was occurring and is shocked to learn that his whole world could dramatically change in just two weeks.

The owner calls his long-time lawyer seeking legal advice on what he should do to keep the union out of his family business. The owner thinks he needs to give a speech to his employees and asks for help. The lawyer says, "Sorry, I'd love to help you edit a speech, but if I do so then, under the Labor Department's new 'persuader' regulation, I'll have to publicly disclose all of my labor relations clients and what they paid me last year. I can't do that because I'd lose them as clients."

So, the business owner goes without legal advice. Since he hasn't been in this situation before, he doesn't know all the ways to get into trouble with the NLRB. He inadvertently commits a couple "unfair labor practices" by doing something as simple as disciplining an unruly employee.

Assuming that the business owner could find help, by the time the outside consultant is retained and has filed the mandatory paperwork, the election is over thanks to the NLRB's new "snap elections" regulation.

Politico:

Gov. Nikki Haley on Wednesday blasted the National Labor Relations Board as a "rogue agency" for taking action against Boeing Co. for allegedly union busting by building a $1 billion plant in South Carolina.

Appearing on "Fox & Friends," Haley said she strongly supports Boeing, which has been accused by the NLRB of locating the plant in South Carolina, where unions are weak, and shifting workers there to retaliate against employees in Washington state for past strikes at the aircraft maker's facilities.

Haley said she thinks the NLRB is out of bounds and wants to prevent the same thing from happening in other states.

"I'm a governor that's committed to making sure this doesn't happen to other governors," she said.

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