CONTACT:
Ori Korin, ori@jwj.org
202-393-1044 x126
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its final rule to ensure a more streamlined and fair union election process for workers. In response, Jobs With Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta released the following statement:
“We applaud the board’s decision to issue this commonsense rule. It’s a modest reform that would streamline the drawn-out union election system, reducing a number of obstacles working people face when trying to form a union to better their workplaces.
“Currently, employees who petition for a union election can encounter month- and even year-long delays before a vote is held, and some never get to vote at all. That protracted election process sacrifices workers’ rights to an election and, instead, incentivizes coercive and often illegal anti-union activity by employers. This rule would cut back on senseless procedural election delays, closing the loopholes employers have exploited for decades.
“While the agency’s proposed rule is a basic step toward protecting workers’ rights, much more needs to be done to fully address the significant challenges people face when they try to come together for a voice on the job.
“And let’s be clear, this rule will only address employers’ cynical procedural maneuvers and not their anti-union conduct or communications with employees. There are countless examples of major corporations – like Walmart, Home Depot and Target – that subject employees to preemptive, intimidating anti-union campaigns, starting as early as their first day of work.
“Yet in today’s upside-down economy, any attempt to restore some balance for working people is a good thing, and the NLRB should be commended for moving to finalize this long overdue policy change.”
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Resources:
Ensuring a Fair Vote in the Workplace
