On October 5, 2011, Chairman John Kline (R-MN) introduced H.R. 3094, the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act, which will protect employer's free speech and worker's free choice. On November 30, 2011, the bill was approved by the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 235 to 188. Background: On June 22, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking th... Read more »
Dear Assistant Secretary Borzi: On July 26, 2011, you testified before the House Education and the Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions ("HELP Subcommittee") at a hearing entitled: Redefining "Fiduciary": Assessing the Impact of the Labor Department's Proposal on Workers and Retirees. At this hearing, a bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the U.S. Depa... Read more »
This week, the Obama administration heralded their latest initiative to “fix” the American economy. This time, it is a plan that unilaterally alters federal policies governing federal student loans. Amazingly, the president has pledged this “won’t cost taxpayers a dime.” In fact, White House officials have upped the ante, claiming that this latest government plan will actually end up saving taxpay... Read more »
Dear Chairman Pearce: On June 22, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) published a proposed regulation that could substatntially shorten the time between the filing of the petition for an election and the election and limit the opportunity for a full evidentiary hearing or Board review of contested issues, including the composition of the bargaining unit. At the close of the comment per... Read more »
Yesterday, in a victory for workers and employers, the House Education and the Workforce Committee voted to approve the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R. 3094). This important legislation rolls back recent activist actions by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that seek to limit employers’ free speech and workers’ free choice. The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act reins in this ... Read more »
White House officials announced a new plan they claim will significantly lower student loan payments. In a speech yesterday at the University of Colorado, President Obama told students, “Americans could see their payments go down by hundreds of dollars a month.” Sounds great – but like most things with this administration, the facts reveal that the average student loan holder is unlikely to see an... Read more »
Dear Secretary Duncan: On October 26, the president announced his intention to unilaterally alteral federal policies governing federal student loans. I share the administration's concern with the high cost of higher education and the burden of debt it places on students and their families. However, numerous questions surround the president's latest proposal, including its impact on taxpayers. To ... Read more »
A worker’s right to a secret ballot union election is once again under attack from President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In its recent Lamons Gasket decision, the NLRB reversed a 2007 holding that provided workers 45 days to request a secret ballot election if their employer decided to voluntarily recognize union representation. Workers may now have to wait up to four years to c... Read more »
The Honorable Mark G. Pearce Chairman National Labor Relations Board 1099 14th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20570 Dear Chairman Pearce: In its 2007 Dana Corp. decision, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) provided workers and rival unions 45-days in which to demand a secret-ballot election when their employer voluntarily recognized a union. According to the most recent statistics, the NLRB... Read more »
Almost immediately after releasing a new report that claims the president’s latest stimulus proposal will “support nearly 400,000 education jobs,” administration officials tried to downplay promises of lasting job creation. According to Wednesday’s Daily Caller article, “White House promises, then retracts, 400,000 teachers”: But administration officials quickly backtracked on the 400,000 number o... Read more »
