Congressional Republicans are invoking a little-used oversight tool to try to overturn a National Labor Relations Board rule aimed at speeding union-organizing elections.
To block the NLRB rule, which was completed in December and scheduled to take effect on April 14, both chambers must approve the resolution and President Barack Obama must sign it—something he’s unlikely to do since the rule was approved by a board he appointed.
Still, the resolution reflects the GOP’s continuing frustration with the NLRB under the Obama administration. The board in recent months has been active issuing decisions it says are needed to address the evolution of the workplace and balance the rights of employers and employees, such as its December ruling that employees with access to their employer’s email system have the right to use it for union organizing and other communications about wages and working conditions – during “nonworking time.”
NLRB Chairman Mark Pearce defended the rule in a statement Monday, saying the board “remains committed” to its work and to “fully carrying out the law” the agency is in charge of enforcing.
“As Congress considers this resolution, this agency will continue productive conversations about the rule ensuring that our processes help fulfill the promise of the National Labor Relations Act,” said Mr. Pearce. “However, it is undeniable that modernizing and streamlining” the rule is “far overdue” and “businesses and workers deserve a process that is effective, fair, and free of unnecessary delays, which is exactly what this rule strives to accomplish,” he said.
Congressional Democrats criticized the (Republican backed) resolution. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee, said in a statement that the rule would make elections fairer by helping workers get a seat at the bargaining table with employers.
“Republicans are making it clear that they are more interested in putting the profits of the biggest corporations ahead of the rights and opportunities of middle-class workers,” Ms. Murray said.
No comments:
Post a Comment