Federal labor board decisions are a bonanza for unions
The federal agency in charge of adjudicating labor disputes has released not one but several major decisions benefiting labor unions in the past two weeks. And it's unlikely to stop there. First, on Dec. 11, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that employees have the right to use their work email accounts for union organizing.
The board followed that decision with an update to union election rules, making it easier for workers to quickly call for a vote. Then, on Dec.16, the NLRB expanded the number of university faculty who are eligible to join a union. Earlier this week, NLRB attorney Richard Griffin said he would proceed with 13 labor complaints against McDonald's and some of its franchisees, setting the stage for a potential rewrite of the legal relationship between multinational fast food companies, their franchised restaurants, and low-wage employees.
Business groups have taken notice. They appear to have been especially perturbed by the new rules speeding up the union election process, which groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce say will encourage "ambush elections." Another industry group, the National Association of Manufacturers, said the rule change "raises serious questions about whether the NLRB is advocating an outcome rather than acting as an impartial adjudicator."
As for why those recent decisions favored Big Labor, there's a simpler explanation: President Barack Obama's Democratic appointees control the board with a three-fifths majority. And since Republicans in Congress are likely to block any labor-friendly legislation, the White House has evidently committed to doing what it can through executive action and regulatory changes.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/23/federal-labor-boarddecisionsareabonanzaforunions.html
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