Press Releases

On Wednesday, September 12th at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), and the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), will hold a joint hearing entitled “Expanding the Power of Big Labor: The NLRB’s Growing Intrusion into Higher Education.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board has taken a number of actions in recent years that expand the power of union interests while undermining the rights of workers and employers. For example, the board has restricted access to secret ballot union elections and has made it more difficult to challenge union representation. The current chairman of the board has pledged to advance dramatic changes to union election procedures that will limit employer free speech and worker free choice. The board is also taking steps to impose changes on private postsecondary institutions by reexamining its jurisdiction over graduate students, university faculty, and religious institutions.

Higher education officials are concerned the NLRB’s efforts to impinge into postsecondary schools could lead to reduced academic freedom and higher costs for students. Wednesday’s joint hearing will provide committee members an opportunity to review the board’s recent actions and discuss potential consequences for students, faculty, and schools. To learn more about the hearing, visit /hearings.

 

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WITNESS LIST

Witnesses to be announced.