Little-Noticed But Crucial Senate NLRB Vote Coming

By Dave Johnson

April 16, 2012 - 1:20pm ET 

The NLRB made a rule that makes it easier for unions to organize by speeding up the process. There is a vote coming up on a Senate Resolution to block it, with Republicans saying that giving workers rights would "hurt job growth." The danger is that enough "centrist" Democrats will join with Republicans to pass this. So pay attention.

The Rule

Last year the NLRB approved rules speeding up union-certification elections. This rule is needed because companies have been "filibustering" union elections with various tactics like bringing up meaningless and frivolous issues all the way through to the last stages of the process. All the while they saturate the workers with anti-union, intimidation threats and propaganda. ("We'll have to close the plant if a union comes in" "You can't get raises because unions rules don't allow it." "The unions takes more than half your wages, and calls it dues." "Union thug bosses will give your job to their brothers-in-law." -- the whole time keeping union reps from having access to counter the propaganda.)