US House to Vote on Anti-Labor Bill

July 2011

Yesterday, legislation that would strip the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) of the ability to redress illegal subcontracting, outsourcing, and transfers of work by employers was rushed through the US House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee. The full House of Representatives may vote on the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act (HR 2587) as early as next week.

Essentially, the bill would allow employers to eliminate workers who are unionized or organizing to form a union, or to avoid a legal obligation to bargain, by transferring the work to a different facility, outsourcing the work, or subcontracting. Right now, the NRLB can remedy the situation by legally forcing the employer to reinstate workers. Under this bill, workers would have no legal recourse before the NRLB.