Changing the Rules of the Union Game
8th July 2011
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is floating a proposal that would alter the way workplace elections are currently held. The board, made up of three Democrats and one Republican, has drafted rules that would speed up the election process and require employers to hand over information on its employees – like email addresses and phone numbers to prospective unions.
Thursday, former union steward Larry Getts testified on Capitol Hill, telling members of the House Education and Workforce Committee that union officials never needed help tracking down non-union workers.
“We found the UAW officials waiting in our break room,” Getts said. “They would even follow us to our vehicles before and after work, some to our homes.”
Getts testified that he eventually left union leadership after it became clear they were intent on abolishing the right to secret ballot elections.Supporters of the NLRB proposal say the current system has long favored employers, and it’s time for a change.
“When it takes 12 years to try to get a place unionized something is wrong,” said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., as some attending the hearing broke into applause.