Yet another big win for Labor in union organizing

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

This is turning out to be a December to remember for Labor. Another big win for Labor in union organizing:

Earlier this month, organized labor settled its dispute with Boeing on terms favorable to labor, and promising a new era of cooperation.

On Friday, a federal court ruled in favor of the new union organizing voting rules by the Department of Labor bringing union organizing elections in line with all other American elections: the majority of votes cast will decide elections. Wow, what a totally (un)radical concept. Federal Judge Smacks Down Republican Assault On Unions In FAA Reauthorization | Crooks and Liars.

On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board approved sweeping new rules that would speed the pace of union elections, making it easier for unions to gain members at companies that have long rebuffed them. Of course, the Chicoms Chamber of Commerce has already filed a federal lawsuit in the District of Columbia challenging the rules. The Chamber will not be satisfied until we are all indentured servants to the corporatocracy. New rules for elections favor unions:

The rules, which will take effect April 30, simplify procedures and reduce legal delays that can hold up union elections after employees at a work site gather enough signatures to form a union.

"This rule is about giving all employees who have petitioned for an election the right to vote in a timely manner and without the impediment of needless litigation," board Chairman Mark Pearce said.

Unions say the old rules allowed companies to file frivolous appeals, stalling elections for months or years. The new rules could help unions make inroads at businesses like Target and Walmart, which have successfully resisted union organizing for years.

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Most union elections now take place 45 days to 60 days after a union gathers enough signatures to file a petition. The new rules could shorten that time by several weeks, depending on the situation.

Many employers use the time leading up to an election to "educate" workers about the cost and impact of joining a union. But union officials claim the lag time is often used to pressure or intimidate [this has always been what I have observed].

More on this topic from Law.com NLRB Adopts Union Elections Rule; Chamber Files Suit in Response:

The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has adopted a rule change that would streamline union-forming elections and delay the appeals process.

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The rule, adopted from a resolution passed by the board Nov. 30, would grant more power to hearing officers who preside over labor union pre-election hearings and delay the appeals process until after the election. Supporters of the new rule say it will reduce unnecessary litigation and delays in the election process.

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When employers and their employees disagree about who is eligible to vote, the matter is referred to a regional office for a hearing. The NLRB contends that about 10% of elections go through the hearing process.

Under the new rule, debate during the hearing will be limited to whether or not an election should occur. The officer administering the hearing will also have the authority to limit testimony.

“This rule is about giving all employees who have petitioned for an election the right to vote in a timely manner and without the impediment of needless litigation,” Pearce said in a written statement.

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In a written statement, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said the board took a “modest but important step” with the passage of the rule, but said that “many more improvements are needed to protect workers’ rights.”

“We hope the Board will quickly move to adopt the rest of its proposed reforms to modernize and streamline the election process,” Trumka said, referring to additional rules proposed by the board in June but later dropped from the Nov. 30 resolution.

Of course, the virulently anti-union Arizona Republic will now go balistic in attacking the NLRB as it did in an earlier editorial opinion about the Boeing settlement. NLRB favors unionized states. The Republic's "anti-union derangement syndrome" is pure propaganda designed to incite rather to inform the public. The newspaper has had a long sordid history of anti-union and anti-labor activism dating back to the 1950's. Whose side are they on? Not the working people of Arizona. (You don't buy advertising from them).