Left Turns

Under the Obama administration, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has a track record of undermining the rights of both employees and job creators while advancing the interests of Big Labor. Given its pervasive culture of union favoritism, the board surprised many this week when it hit “pause” on its latest effort to stifle employee freedom and choice, stepping back from an attempt to undermine state right-to-work laws.

Since 1947, states have been allowed to prohibit compulsory union membership through laws known as “right to work.” However, in April, the board signaled a move toward reversing decades of precedent and diminishing important worker rights provided by these state-based laws. The committee held a hearing to explore this effort to weaken employee protections, during which Chairman John Kline (R-MN) said:

Every worker has a fundamental right to decide whether or not to join a union. Those who decide not to join a union shouldn’t be punished for that decision, especially when the punishment denies a worker the chance to provide for his or her family. That is why it is deeply troubling the Obama labor board is trying to undermine a policy embraced by workers and state leaders across the country.

Witnesses also raised a number of troubling concerns. 

• This proposal is a solution in search of a problem and would hurt individual rights, employers, and continued economic growth. – Gov. Pete Ricketts (R-NE)
  
  
• Right to Work is fundamentally an issue of individual freedom. The NLRB’s plan to undercut right-to-work laws is an outrage to working men and women all across this country. – Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee

Chairman Kline warned the board “needs to pull back and leave employees in right-to-work states alone.” With this week’s retreat, the NLRB appears to have at least temporarily abandoned its assault on right to work.

However, given the board’s track record, the question remains: How long will it take for the NLRB to launch its next attack on worker rights? After all, this is the same activist NLRB responsible for: 

• Threatening to destroy thousands of good paying jobs;
  
  
• Undermining employee free choice through an ambush election scheme;
  
  
• Stifling employee freedom through micro-unions; and
  
  
• Restricting employee access to secret ballot union elections.

As Chairman Kline noted, “We’ve been down this road before.” That’s why the committee will keep a close eye on the NLRB and continue working to ensure the board doesn’t further diminish the rights of American workers. If history is any indicator, the next fight isn’t far away.

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