FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2017
CONTACT:Ryan Williams
202-677-7060

 

Workforce Fairness Institute Reacts To 2018 Labor, Health & Human Services, Education Appropriations Bill
Blocking New Joint Employer Standard & Micro-Unions Is Good Step Forward; Inability To Stop Ambush Elections Missed Opportunity

Washington, D.C. – Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) spokesperson Heather Greenaway released the following statement today reacting to developments surrounding the FY 2018 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill:

“It is a positive development for America’s employees and employers that the bill funding the National Labor Relations Board will prevent the job-killing new joint employer standard, as well as the deeply flawed micro-union decision.  The new joint employer standard upended decades of labor law through the Browning-Ferris ruling and created a new standard where liability was expanded to businesses that did not have direct purview over workplace employees.  Just as bad, the Specialty Healthcare decision completely altered the standard for determining the makeup of a collective bargaining unit giving union bosses the ability to organize small subsets of employees known as micro-unions.  Unfortunately though, an opportunity was missed to address the board’s decision to condense the union organizing election timeframe giving workers and businesses as few as 11 days to prepare.  Going forward, the collection of these issues demands the continued attention of lawmakers as they threaten jobs and discourage employers from engaging confidently in our economy and in manner that benefits all Americans.”

The Workforce Fairness Institute is an organization committed to educating voters, employers, employees and citizens about issues affecting the workplace.  To learn more, please visit: http://www.workforcefairness.com.

To schedule an interview with a Workforce Fairness Institute representative, please contact Ryan Williams at (202) 677-7060.

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Featured Blog

AZ Daily Sun--Coconino Voices: PRO Act legislation would hurt local businesses

— 05.13.2021 —
By: Julie Pastrik Arizona businesses and workers have had an incredibly challenging year given the economic slowdown that followed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, local businesses and industries across the state are resilient and on the road to a strong recovery that will mean more jobs for Arizona workers and increased economic development to strengthen our communities. That is, as long as Congress does not move forward with potentially devastating legislation that would hurt local employers and employees alike while impeding our state’s economic recovery. Unfortunately, some members of Congress seem determined to do just that by pushing through the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. As harmless as the name may sound, the PRO Act would have serious repercussions for local businesses, particularly smaller ones, while undermining long-standing rights for employees and threatening the growing gig economy that has helped provide much-needed income for so many during this time. Arizona is fortunate to have leaders like Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, who have both refrained from joining the vast majority of their Democratic colleagues in cosponsoring the PRO Act. In a slap in the face to Arizona workers, the PRO Act removes one of the most fundamental rights a worker has when it comes to voting in elections to determine whether to unionize: the secret ballot. Instead, workers could be forced to sign union authorization cards in front of other employees, their employer, or union organizers. This bill would also destroy workers’ right to privacy by allowing unions access to personal information, including their home address and personal phone number. If that doesn’t open the door to union intimidation and harassment, I don’t know what does. As if that was not bad enough, the PRO Act would create major new challenges for Arizona businesses, making it harder for them to create jobs, expand in their communities, and even keep their doors open. It would redefine what it means to be a “joint employer” under national labor law, greatly complicating existing relationships between franchisors and franchisees as well as between business owners, contractors, subcontractors, and vendors and suppliers. At the same time, it would interfere with attorney-client confidentiality and make it much more difficult for small businesses to secure a legal advice on labor issues. Particularly harmful during these times, the PRO Act would apply a failed policy from California to national labor law by using the “ABC” test to determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or employee. This makes it much harder to qualify as an independent contractor, threatening the freedom and flexibility that tens of thousands of Arizonans find in independent contracting and gig economy work. Ultimately, the PRO Act is bad public policy that only works for union leaders to inflate their falling ranks while threatening workers’ rights, undermining small businesses, and jeopardizing a growing part of our economy. This is not a good solution for Arizona, and Senators Sinema and Kelly should stay firm and not cosponsor this misguided legislation.
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