NLRB to try again to streamline unionization elections
peals tossed them out after business seeking to decertify a union. We look
groups sued. The judges (a majority ap- forward to further exchange of ideas to
pointed by Republican presidents) said improve the processes” to benefit work-
the board lacked a
quorum at the time ‘Unnecessary delay and inefficiencies
the new rules were
made. Since then, hurt both employees and employers.’
five members have
NLRB C HAIR M ARK G ATSON P EARCE
been confirmed to
the board, giving it
a quorum.
“Unnecessary delay and inefficien- ers, firms and the U.S.
cies hurt both employees and employ-
The NLRB wants to let unions and
ers,” Pearce said. “These proposals are businesses send documents, including
intended to improve the process for all recognition election petitions, electron-
parties, in all cases, whether nonunion ically, streamline pre- and post-election
employees are seeking a union to rep- procedures to facilitate agreement and
resent them or unionized employees are eliminate unnecessary litigation. It
wants to add phone numbers and e-mail
addresses to eligible voter lists, called
Excelsior lists, that firms must turn
over, via the board, to unions filing the
required number of signatures.
The NLRB also wants to “consoli-
date all election-related appeals to the
board into a single post-election ap-
Two days before a strike was set to begin, the Portland Association of Teachers peals process.” Right now, firms delay
announced Feb. 18 (as this edition was going to press) that a “conceptual agree- union recognition elections by filing
ment” was reached with Portland Public Schools on a new union contract.
challenges to who can vote, when the
The deal was reached after more than 23 straight hours of bargaining with a vote can occur and other details. They
state mediator — and 10 months after bargaining began. The two sides recon- then take their complaints to the board
vened later in the day to iron out details and put it in writing as a tentative agree- and the federal courts.
ment that will go to the union’s 2,900 members for ratification.
Meantime, employers can stall the
Details of the agreement won’t be released before teachers vote on the con- elections and get months — even years
tract.
— to conduct anti-union campaigns.
The NLRB’s proposal would reduce
that time.
Union leaders applauded the
NLRB’s proposal.
“The rules were needed then (in
2011), and they are still needed now,”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) — By
a 3-2 vote on Feb. 4, the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) reintroduced
a proposed rule to ensure a more
streamlined and fairer union election
process for workers.
The proposals will let the board
more effectively administer labor law,
said NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston
Pearce.
“The Notice of Proposed Rulemak-
ing presents a number of changes to
representation case procedures aimed
at modernizing processes, enhancing
transparency and eliminating unneces-
sary litigation and delay,” he said.
The NLRB passed similar rules in
2011, but the D.C. Circuit Court of Ap-
Teachers strike averted at
Portland Public Schools
said AFL-CIO President Richard
Trumka. “When workers petition for an
NLRB election, they should receive a
timely opportunity to vote. But the cur-
rent NLRB election process is riddled
with delay and provides too many op-
portunities for employers to manipulate
and drag out the process through costly
and unnecessary litigation and deny
workers a vote. These rules are an im-
portant step in the right direction.”
The Republican majority on the
House Education and the Workforce
Committee denounced the ruling, call-
ing it “ambush elections.” It said it
would haul the NLRB before the com-
mittee on March 5.
Meanwhile, the NLRB set an April
7 deadline for written comments on the
new rules. Additionally, the board will
hold public hearings on its proposals
that week.
...Fast-track fight
(From Page 1)
ship in opposing a fast-track bill intro-
duced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mon-
tana) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-Michi-
gan) — the so-called Bi-Partisan
Congressional Trade Priorities Act;
and to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden “for his
leadership on the issue.” The Oregon
Democrat recently became chair of the
powerful Senate Finance Committee,
succeeding Baucus, who was named
U.S. ambassador to China.
“Rep. DeFazio has spoken out
against the bill and is actively working
to defeat it. He is really the only Dem
to take a clear stand on the TPP, and he
is very much against it,” said Elizabeth
Swager of the Oregon Fair Trade Cam-
paign.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, who is up for re-
election this year, recently issued a
statement on TPA, stating that it “is un-
acceptable to have consideration of fast
track come to the Senate floor before
there has been a full opportunity for a
robust public debate and feedback on
the goals and scope of these trade
deals.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nev.), who is seeking to hold the
Democrats’ Senate majority in the
2014 elections, told reporters Jan. 29
— a day after President Obama
pushed fast track in his State of the
Union address — “I’m against fast
track.”
Reid said he may not bring the fast-
track bill up for a vote.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Everyone
knows how I feel about this. Sen. Bau-
cus knows. Sen. (Ron) Wyden knows.
The White House knows.
“I think everyone would be well
advised just to not push this right now,”
Reid concluded.
(Editor’s Note: Press Associates
Inc. contributed to this report.)
According to The Better Hearing Institute, the #1 reason for hearing loss today is ... NOISE EXPOSURE. In most
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FEBRUARY 21, 2014
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
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