Just a couple of stories today. First from Fred Wszolek of
Townhall:
So, it appears that this Fall there will be a serious debate between the executive and legislative branches on the role of regulations in getting the economy back on track. Therefore, one would assume that the Obama Administration's labor agencies, namely, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), National Mediation Board (NMB) and Department of Labor (DoL), along with their job-killing policies, will receive even more attention.
The NLRB, for example, on August 22nd closed public comment on a proposed rule change which would drastically alter the time period between when a petition is filed to form a collective bargaining unit and when the actual election takes place. "Quickie" or "ambush" elections would shorten the period of time for union elections from a median of 38 days to as little as 10. This would greatly benefit President Obama's top political contributor, Big Labor, while punishing small employers and instilling a great deal of concern into the marketplace. Thus far, in just over two months, the rulemaking process has generated tens of thousands of public comments, most of which have been opposed to any change in a process that has worked well and been in place for decades.
Wha'’s more, according to news reports, the NLRB is pushing to issue a decision in a case known as Specialty Healthcare, which deals with the formation of micro-units. If Obama's regulatory agency decides in favor of union bosses, it would open the floodgates for the formation of small collective bargaining units within workplaces, which threaten dramatically increased costs and complications for employers. It is extremely likely that micro-units would cripple businesses as they would be forced to deal with numerous union elections, and negotiate and apply multiple collective bargaining agreements, which would have a devastating impact on their profitability and put at risk the solvency of many employers.
The NMB, another obscure Federal administrative agency, recently ruled that unions could be formed in the airline and railroad industries with only a majority of those voting as opposed to a majority of those in the workplace. This change in policy undoes nearly a century of precedent that has been in place under both Republican and Democratic Administrations. The end result of this bailout for labor bosses is that more companies will be unionized without the support of a majority of their employees, once again, resulting in more hand wringing and less hiring.
And now, the Super PAC. From the
Chicago Tribune:
The AFL-CIO is set to be the newest arrival on the burgeoning "super PAC" scene.
The labor group plans to form an independent expenditure committee to bolster its year-round political operations, the Associated Press reported Monday. The committee will be able to accept unlimited contributions from union members and outside supporters but will not be allowed to make contributions directly to candidates.
"The essential idea is that changes in the law for the first time really allow the labor movement to speak directly to workers, whether they have collective bargaining agreements or not," AFL-CIO political director Michael Podhorzer told the AP. "Before, most political resources went to our own membership."
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