Obama's NLRB approves "ambush" union elections

President Obama's radicalized NLRB has delivered a sweet payoff for Big Labor, one of the key cogs in the Democrats' leftist alliance.

From Bloomberg Businessweek:

A politically divided U.S. labor board proposed speeding up the process for employees to form a union, reviving a 2011 rule fiercely fought by business groups before it was thrown out by a court on a technicality.

The National Labor Relations Board in a 3-2 decision released today said it was reissuing rules to shorten the time for employee elections and require businesses to provide lists of employee phone numbers and e-mails to union leaders before a vote.

The 2011 rule was supported by labor and drew legal challenges from business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was among several contentious decisions by the board that drew the ire of Republicans in Congress who delayed votes on President Barack Obama's nominees to the board. A federal judge threw out the rule, saying it was adopted by a board that lacked a quorum.

The Workforce Fairness Institute issued a statement condemning the ruling:

President Obama's National Labor Relations Board seeks immediate workplace elections to deprive employees the opportunity to hear all views related to unionization, while also denying employers the chance to express their point of view to workers. The only story the government and labor bosses want employees to hear is the union story. Consequently, the union will be able to make pie-in-the-sky promises and mislead employees in order to get their vote," said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). "The proposed rule, like the former one, stacks the deck against employers by forcing a vote before all election issues have been resolved, such as the size and scope of the bargaining unit, and the eligibility to participate in the workplace vote. This would put enormous pressure on business owners and give Big Labor bosses a considerable advantage in the process. The Obama Board claims the new procedures are necessary due to delays, but the median time for all elections has remained steady and even earned praise from Board officials. This latest action by the NLRB is payback – plain and simple – to the union bosses who bankrolled President Obama's campaigns, and will do nothing to help the economy grow and create jobs."

Technorati tags: business economy news government politics labor unions nlrb