Marathon Pundit: WFI letter to Isakson on micro-unions

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) is coming out swinging against one of the radicalized-NLRB's latest impediment against prosperity, "micro-unions."

The Workforce Fairness Institute, as you will read in a letter from its executive director, Fred Wszolek, is firmly in Isakon's corner.

Dear Senator Isakson,

The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) is an organization devoted to educating workers, their employers and Americans in general on important issues affecting the workplace. We write in strong support of the Representation Fairness Restoration Act (S. 1843).

This legislation is designed to restore the traditional standard for determining a collective bargaining unit. In a case known as Specialty Healthcare, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) undid half a century of labor law by endorsing the formation of "micro-unions," or mini/small collective bargaining units made up of as few as two or three people. These micro-unions are bad for workers, bad for businesses, bad for the collective bargaining process, but good for union bosses.

Due to the failure of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations to pass Senator Graham's amendment, which had bi-partisan support, to defund the NLRB's advancement of micro-unions, there are few alternatives available to employees and employers concerned with forced unionization, and it heightens the importance of having the Senate take up the Representation Fairness Restoration Act.

A few weeks ago, the NLRB’s New York regional office rejected Bergdorf Goodman's request for a storewide union; instead, approving the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union's petition for a micro-union of sales associates who sold only women's shoes on the second and fifth floors. The only beneficiary of such a misguided standard is Big Labor bosses who want easy access to an employer so as to gain a foothold in the business largely due to their inability to convince a majority of workers to vote for the union. With private sector union membership at a historic low of 6.9%, down from 16.8% in 1983, labor bosses are desperate to grow their dues-paying membership.

The NLRB's decision in the Specialty Healthcare case is just another example of "payback" to union bosses for investing nearly half a billion dollars in the 2008 election, with a similar commitment made this year. With polling showing that organized labor is one of the institutions Americans have the least confidence in, Big Labor has every reason to be concerned.

The formation of micro-unions would result in an undue proliferation of units in workplaces and dramatically increase an employer's labor relations costs. Furthermore, they would create division, discord and disharmony in the workplace as little unions negotiate against one another, while business owners become entangled in an expensive mess of union red tape and competing demands.

Congress must put aside the politics that rewards union bosses, and put the interests of employees and employers above all else. U.S. Senators can send a message to job creators by scheduling a vote on the Representation Fairness Restoration Act. We strongly advocate in favor of its passage.

Sincerely,

Fred Wszolek
Executive Director
Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI)