White House Gives Big Labor Gift on Tax Day Eve

Controversial new union election regulations went into effect on Tuesday, curtailing the ability of employers to educate workers about the effects of unionization.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversees the union ballot process, will begin implementing new rules that could force companies to hold elections within two weeks of a petition being filed.

Business groups slammed the board for tilting the scales in favor of organized labor.

Professional labor organizers can spend months and even years persuading employees about the benefits of unionization. Employers are limited to the time between the petition’s acceptance and the day of the election to mount a campaign explaining the potential downsides of organizing, according to David French, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation (NRF).

“This change will significantly restrict both employees’ and employers’ participation in the union organizing process and severely compress the union election cycle,” he said in a release. “It muzzles the rights and voices of employees who want to understand the benefits and consequences of union organizing as well as employers who want to rebut and respond to union-backed charges.”

The Republican-controlled House and Senate each passed resolutions that would have blocked the NLRB’s amendments to the process, but President Obama used a procedural veto to secure the rule in March. Congressional leaders decried interference from the White House.

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