NILRR Clips April 17, 2015
NLRB takes on right-to-work — Finance to hold hearing on TPA today
politico.com, April 17, 2015
NLRB TAKES ON RIGHT-TO-WORK: The National Labor Relations Board’s newest target is the right-to-work movement. In a call for briefs yesterday, the agency said it may allow a union to collect a fee from a non-member in a right-to-work state if that member avails himself of union grievance procedures. Under current NLRB caselaw, unions are prohibited from collecting any fees from non-members in right-to-work states, regardless of whether those members actually use that union’s resources in a conflict with their employer. That’s what the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which created the right-to-work option for states and territories, has always been understood to mean.
Mark Mix (National Right to Work Legal Foundation) Response
April 17, 2015
In response to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) taking a step on April 15, 2015, towards allowing union officials to force nonmember workers in Right to Work states to pay fees for union contract grievance-processing, Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation, issued the following statement:
As Right to Work expands across the country, it is unfortunately not surprising that the Obama NLRB is now actively working to undermine the 25 state Right to Work laws. Its “call for briefs†signals this NLRB’s intention to reverse over 60 years of Board precedent to give union bosses an unprecedented tool to eviscerate employees’ Right to Work protections.
The fact is that union officials choose monopoly bargaining control over all workers in a workplace even though they are free to instead negotiate a members-only contract. And union officials continue to do so because they enjoy and often depend on the power derived from that monopoly. The monopoly union contract and any grievance over its enforcement is the direct result of union bosses’ decision to impose their so-called “representation†on independent-minded employees who, because of their status as nonmembers, have lost all ability to influence the contents of the union contract that controls the outcome of any grievance.
The real solution would be to strip union officials of their monopoly bargaining powers that let them impose unwanted “representation†on unwilling workers, but as long as union bosses are empowered to force nonmembers under their contracts, Right to Work laws should continue to protect workers from being forced to subsidize that unwanted union boss monopoly representation, including through the union-imposed grievance process.
www.nrtw.org, April 14, 2015
With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, two Fort Leonard Wood food service workers have won a federal settlement from a local union for violating their and several of their coworkers’ rights.
Teamster Union Faces Federal Charge for Violating Machinery Manufacturing Company Worker’s Rights
www.nrtw.org, April 14, 2015
With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a Crosby Group/Lebus Manufacturing Company worker has filed a federal charge against a local Teamsters union for violating her rights.
White Oak resident Sammie Monroe filed the unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Teamsters Local 568 for threatening her for exercising her right to refrain from paying union dues.
Gerawan workers protest outside Court of Appeal in Fresno
Fresnobee.com, April 14, 2015
Gerawan Farming company workers rally in downtown Fresno Tuesday to demand the state count the ballots in a disputed election to remove the United Farm Workers union.
At stake in the dispute is the representation of about 3,000 workers.
Ambushing Employers’ Speech Rights
Wall Street Journal Online, April 17, 2015
The federal government is redoubling efforts to promote unions and keep companies quiet.
The current administration in particular has sacrificed the speech rights of employers and employees to advance a pro-union agenda. Last month, for example, the president vetoed an effort by Congress to overturn the National Labor Relations Board’s controversial “ambush election†rule. This rule, which took effect on Tuesday, reduces the time that employers have to present information to employees in advance of a union election, thus making it easier for unions to campaign without meaningful opposition. Court challenges to the rule are currently pending.
Meanwhile, the board is championing labor efforts to organize small groups of pro-union employees into “micro unionsâ€â€”say, a men’s shoes department in a retail store. This strategy essentially enables unions to gerrymander a workplace, organizing union supporters while carving out employees who might oppose unionization. The president has also voiced support for “card check†legislation that would effectively replace secret-ballot union elections with signature drives backed by union officials.
Why this Chicago manufacturer is hiring 300 in Gary
Chicagobusiness.com, April 16, 2015
Edsal decided to open a new operation in the Indiana town because it is close to the company’s operations in Chicago, according to CEO Bruce Saltzberg. He also cited the Hoosier state’s right-to-work law, which makes it more difficult for unions to organize . . .
Two more ironworkers get prison for campaign of intimidation, sabotage
philly.com, April 11, 2015
William Gillin, 43, was sentenced to 51/2 years Friday. He is one of 11 members of the union who confessed to a list of crimes last year, including a December 2012 arson at a Quaker meetinghouse under construction in Chestnut Hill.
Indiana Senate narrowly passes repeal of common wage
Indystar.com, April 15, 2015
The Indiana Senate narrowly passed a repeal of the state’s common construction wage law, delivering a victory for Gov. Mike Pence who has pushed hard for the repeal.
Union treasurer charged with stealing nearly $9k
newsitem.com, April 17, 2015
A United Steelworkers of America union treasurer from Ranshaw was charged Wednesday for stealing almost $9,000 in union funds over a two and a half year period.
White House Gives Big Labor Gift on Tax Day Eve
Washington Free Beacon, April 14, 2015
Controversial new union election regulations went into effect on Tuesday, curtailing the ability of employers to educate workers about the effects of unionization.
French, the National Retail Federation spokesman, said that the implementation of the rule is “a gift to the White House’s allies in Big Labor.â€
Machinists Union Cancels April 22 Boeing South Carolina Vote
Union filed petition for vote with NLRB in March
Wall Street Journal Online, April 17, 2015
The cancellation, announced Friday, is a major setback for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which filed its petition for the vote with the National Labor Relations Board in March, kicking off a vitriolic fight with the aerospace giant over forming a collective bargaining agreement for around 3,200 staff.
UAW’s Williams ‘a businessman’ for the right time
Detroit News Online, April 16, 2015
The start of United Auto Workers’ national contract talks is months away, but the take on President Dennis Williams is that he’s a guy who will work with the Detroit automakers.