GOP vs. NLRB

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NRO: The Corner:

Andrew Stiles
6/17/11

Lawmakers sparred Friday at a rare “on site” hearing in Charleston, S.C., to examine the National Labor Relation Board’s controversial complaint against the Boeing company, which alleges that the airplane manufacturer “unlawfully discriminated” against union workers in its decision to open a new production facility in a right-to-work state.

Lafe Solomon, the acting general counsel for the NLRB appointed by President Obama — who said he had agreed to testify “voluntarily” but “reluctantly” after Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, rejected Solomon’s offer to have an associate testify on his behalf — defended his decision to file charge against Boeing, questioning whether the company’s actions were motivated by “legitimate business considerations” or were instead in retaliation for frequent union strikes at its Puget Sound plant near Seattle. “I would not be fulfilling my responsibilities if I turned a blind eye to evidence that an unfair labor practice may have occurred,” said Solomon in his opening remarks.

Republicans have been up in arms over the “baseless” complaint, accusing the NLRB of trying to intimidate Boeing and other companies with the prospect of having to spend millions of dollars defending themselves in court, the consequences of which could have a significant “chilling effect” on job creation in the United States. “The definition of intimidation is the NLRB having the Boeing corporation spend hundreds of thousands if not millions defending a baseless lawsuit,” said freshman Rep. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), who represents the North Charleston district where the new plant is located. “It is obvious that we are the process of seeing the beginning of a presidential reelection campaign,” he added, suggesting that the move was a blatant attempt by the Obama administration to gin up union (financial) support in the run-up to the 2012 election.
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Townhall: The Worst May Be Yet To Come From Obama's Regulatory Board

Fred Wszolek

6/18/11

 

As more Americans become familiar with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) due to the complaint it filed against the Boeing Company for building a production facility in a right-to-work state against the wishes of the union representing its Washington State employees, the regulatory agency stocked with President Obama’s appointees continues to deliberate over job-killing policies that reward Big Labor bosses and hurt workers.

 

In addition to threatening companies that want to create jobs in the 22 states that have passed right-to-work laws, which protect a worker’s freedom of association by prohibiting unions and employers from making membership in the union a condition of employment, the NLRB announced that it was considering a sweeping new change that would give Big Labor easy access to non-union employers, but which threatens the cohesiveness of the workplace and dramatically increases costs and litigation on employers in one of the worst economies since the Great Depression.

 

The case known as Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Mobile would make a sweeping new standard for defining what a collective bargaining unit is. Whereas in the past it could be all the employees of the employer or something less, such as a department, the new standard gives Big Labor a green light to organize as few as two or more persons doing the same job in the same location. Since it is easier to organize two employees than 50, these micro-units will make it easier for Big Labor to gain access into a non-union employer, but will deprive workers their right to collective bargaining strength, and they threaten a proliferation of units balkanizing the workplace and increasing the burden on employers.

 

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Obama CoS: Yeah, that bureaucratic expansion is really indefensible

Ed Morrissey

6/18/11

 

I’ve written plenty about Barack Obama’s regulatory adventurism and his attempt to impose his political agenda by conducting end-arounds of Congress. The massive expansion of regulation has strangled business, I’ve argued, and stifled economic growth. You know who agrees with me? Barack Obama’s right-hand man in the White House. In a meeting with the National Association of Manufacturers, William Daley didn’t mount a very impressive defense of his boss’ regulatory adventurism — and in fact conceded that no defense was possible

 

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley took heat from business executives Thursday for the Obama administration’s regulatory expansions. Daley also said he didn’t have any good answers for some of what President Obama is doing and expressed frustration about the “bureaucratic stuff that’s hard to defend.”

 

Sometimes you can’t defend the indefensible,” Daley said at a National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) meeting.(Snip)

 

 

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