National Right to Work Reacts to Obama Labor Board’s Latest Scheme to Undermine Right to Work Laws
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 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 contacts, 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.
Three Years Later, Workers Ask for Secret Ballot Vote After Obama Labor Board Kills Card Check Protections
Three Years Later, Workers Ask for Secret Ballot Vote After Obama Labor Board Kills Card Check Protections
NLRB’s ruling removing workers’ protection against card check unionization exposed as a farce
Houston, TX (August 12, 2014) – Three years after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) eliminated workers’ right to challenge union card check recognition with a secret ballot vote, the very workers involved in that case have petitioned for an election to remove the unwanted union from their workplace.
In 2007, National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys secured a new NLRB precedent in Dana Corp. which held that workers may collect signatures to request a secret ballot election during a 45-day window period following notice that their employer has recognized a union based on a card check organizing drive. The ruling was intended to counteract coercive practices frequently associated with card checks, which allow organizers to bully or mislead employees into signing cards that count as «votes» toward unionization.
In 2011, the Obama NLRB overturned the Dana precedent in Lamons Gasket.
National Right to Work Deeply Saddened By News of Fallen Alaska State Troopers
Last week, two Alaska State Troopers, Patrick Scott Johnson and Gabriel Rich, were killed in the line of duty while conducting an investigation in Tanana, Alaska.
In addition to serving his community as a state trooper, Johnson was one of the five National Right to Work Foundation-assisted Alaska state troopers seeking to defend and expand the workplace rights of public servants in Alaska and across the country.
The Right to Work family is deeply saddened to hear the terrible news and sends condolences to the families of both troopers.
Know Your Rights: Michigan’s Right to Work Law
In December 2012, Michigan became the nation’s 24th state to pass Right to Work protections for its workers. On March 28, 2013, Michigan’s private sector and public sector Right to Work laws went into effect and Michigan workers finally have Right to Work protections.
If you are a private sector worker in Michigan and you want to know more about your rights under Michigan’s new Right to Work law, click here. If you are a public sector worker, click here.
Recent media reports suggest that union bosses are attempting to skirt Michigan’s Right to Work law any way they can. The Wall Street Journal even reported that a Michigan teacher union boss sent out a memo stating union officials should consider suing union members who exercise their Right to Work and refrain from union membership and dues payments.
Fortunately, the National Right to Work Foundation has of a special task force committed to defending Michigan workers who seek to exercise their rights under the state’s newly-enacted Right to Work law. If you, or someone you know, needs legal assistance, please contact the National Right to Work Foundation by calling toll free 1-800-336-3600 or by clicking here.
NLRB Watch: Breakdown of Cases Invalidated By Noel Canning Decision
Foundation staff attorney, Ave Maria law professor, and former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member John Raudabaugh has published his latest installment to the Foundation’s "NLRB Watch" blog feature.
In "NLRB Watch" #8, titled "What the Noel Canning Decision Means for NLRB Cases," Raudabaugh charts what cases may be subject to challenge in the wake of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s ruling last month invalidating President Barack Obama’s controversial purported "recess appointments" to the Board. The court held President Obama could not constitutionality make those appointments without U.S. Senate confirmation because the Senate was not in recess. National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys filed an amicus curiae brief jointly with the Landmark Legal Foundation in the case.
As a result of the court’s ruling, since at least January 3, 2012, the Board has lacked a quorum as required by a U.S. Supreme Court precedent established in 2010, thus invalidating the Board’s rulings since that time. Click here to see a chart displaying the many cases invalidated by the court’s decision in Noel Canning.
Click here to read other posts located at the "NLRB Watch" page. And be sure to follow the National Right to Work Foundation on Facebook and Twitter to get alerts on new "NLRB Watch" posts!
