10.05.11

Another GOP Bill Wages War against Working Families

WASHINGTON – Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on the introduction of a Republican bill to roll back a few recent National Labor Relations Boards decisions and policies (H.R. 3094). Some of these items were covered in a recent committee hearing.

“This bill is just another example of the class war being waged against working families by the Republican majority on behalf of special interests. Giving big corporations new powers to block workers’ ability to bargain for a better life and undermines our nation’s ability to grow and strengthen the middle class,” said Miller. “For instance, this bill codifies the unionbusting practice of delaying, manipulating, and ultimately denying workers the right to a free and fair election. Their bill effectively requires workplace elections to be delayed for months or years. This bill hurts our economy by hurting our middle class and it should be rejected.”

Specifically, H.R. 3094:

  • Makes a one-sided election process even more unfair for workers by delaying the election process.
    • Delays the pre-election hearing process by mandating that no pre-election hearing can take place less than 14 calendar days after a petition for an election has been filed.
    • Mandates that an election always be delayed at least 35 days from filing a petition for a hearing.
    • Places no requirement on how long an election may be delayed.
    • Mandates that an election be delayed until after a review of post-hearing appeals. Such appeals may be frivolous, and review could take months or years.
    • Makes it more difficult for workers to hear from unions by mandating a delay in the delivery of eligible voter lists.

 

  • Gives employers the ability to gerrymander bargaining units in order to disrupt a free and fair election in the workplace.
    • Establishes rules for determining an appropriate bargaining unit that tilts the playing field against workers who want to organize.
    • Imposes a bias against workers by imposing rules that make it easier for employers to gerrymander who can vote in a new unit or challenge who can be added to any existing unit.