NLRB Rules Favor Union Organizing

Nonunion workers, beware:  your employer will now be forced to divulge your personal information to union organizers, whether they wish to or not, free of charge, and without your permission.  Thanks to a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision union bosses will have access to nonuion employees’ email addresses and phone numbers.

Now, as members, union bosses will be able to force these workers to pay full union dues with no relief.  Employers’ efforts to present their side of the argument will be greatly reduced.

The move is not surprising, considering union bosses ALREADY force nonunion employees to pay dues, whether or not they are members.  Eric Boehm explains in watchdog.org.  National Right to Work Foundation president Mark Mix, also comments on the order.

Labor unions got an early Christmas present from the National Labor Relations Board: access to non-union workers’ email address and phone numbers.

The NLRB earlier this month issued new rules for how and when union organizing elections can take place within workplaces. Under the new rules, unions will have access to employees’ private information as they make their sales pitch, and employers will have less time to respond to workers’ demands before a unionization election can take place.

Geoff Burr, vice president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., a national trade association for non-union construction companies, said the new rules “will lead to the unsolicited distribution of employees’ personal contact information.â€

The NLRB says the changes are meant to streamline the process of holding elections and stop employers from stalling. Opponents of the changes say they will unfairly give unions an upper-hand in convincing workers to unionize.

“Simplifying and streamlining the process will result in improvements for all parties,†NLRB chairman Mark Pearce said in a statement announcing the new rules. “With these changes, the Board strives to ensure that its representation process remains a model of fairness and efficiency for all.â€
There is much for employers to dislike about the latest set of election rules, but there are two points that stand out.

First, the new rules require employers to hand over personal information — like employees’ phone numbers and email addresses — to labor unions, making it easier for them to solicit support. Second, the new rules eliminate a 25-day waiting period between when a union election is called for and when it can take place.

That waiting period, opponents of the ruling said, allows for employers to respond to employees’ demands and to counter any arguments being made in favor of unionization.

“A reasonable election period is needed that gives workers enough time to educate their coworkers about the potential impact of unionization after months or even years of union organizing and propaganda,†said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation.