How can the President of the United States make recess appointments when the Senate is not in recess? That’s the question many are trying to answer after President Obama made three so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The appointments perpetuate fears about the NLRB’s job destroying agenda, and raise a number of constitutional questions that must be answered.... Read more »
This week, President Obama’s controversial recess appointments took their seats at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). A great deal of legal uncertainty is attached to these appointments and any future action the new board may take. While some question the constitutional implications of these recess appointments, many worry how the new board will affect the workplace. If history serves as a... Read more »
Last week, the Obama administration once again put politics ahead of the American people by announcing three recess appointees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) at a time when the U.S. Senate was not actually in recess. As the Wall Street Journal proclaimed: Eager to pick a fight with Congress as part of his re-election campaign, Mr. Obama did the Constitutional equivalent of sticking a... Read more »
Last week, the Obama National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) sent another signal to America’s job creators that it’s better to do business somewhere else. For nine months, the NLRB accused The Boeing Company of breaking the law when it decided to build airplanes in South Carolina. As punishment, the NLRB tried to force Boeing to shut down the South Carolina plant and move the work to Washington stat... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: The nation's workforce development system, authorized under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, is a confusing maze of programs. A 2011 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report identified 47 separate federal job training programs costing taxpayers $18 billion annually. Most programs overlap and serve the same populations, and only five of these programs have been evaluat... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Access to effective job training opportunities and employment services is critical to building a more competitive workforce. Unfortunately, the nation’s workforce investment system is failing to meet the needs of today’s workers and employers. Federal requirements have left local workforce investment boards – which are responsible for policy and oversight of area training and employm... Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
