Monday, June 27, 2011

Isakson Blasts Administration Over Recent Actions
to Implement Job-killing Labor Policies

'If You Say You Want to Create Jobs, Don't Stop Job Creation'

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., strongly criticized the Obama Administration over three recent decisions by its federal labor boards to impose job-killing labor policies. Isakson is the ranking Republican on the Senate Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee that has jurisdiction over labor issues.

Isakson spoke on the Senate floor in response to three recent decisions by the federal labor boards, including the National Mediation Board’s recent decision to investigate what it claims are unfair labor practices at Delta Air Lines. The National Mediation Board took this step after the unions lost another election among Delta employees, despite the Board changing the rules last year to make it easier for unions to win a majority vote. Isakson has fought against the National Mediation’s Board’s rule change for more than a year.

Isakson also used his floor speech to criticize two recent actions by the National Labor Relations Board – the Board’s decision to file suit against The Boeing Company because the company wanted to create 1,000 jobs in a right-to-work state, and the Board’s decision to allow for quicker union elections.

“I learned from my father that we should all be judged by our actions, not just our words. I am very disappointed in what this administration is doing now. On the one hand, they are talking about jobs being the most important thing America needs. Yet, they continue to implement job-killing policies such as the ones being pushed through the National Labor Relations Board and the National Mediation Board,” said Isakson. “If you say you want to create jobs, don’t stop job creation. If you say you want the economy to recover, do those things necessary to empower business.”

In its suit against Boeing, the National Labor Relations Board claims that Boeing was seeking to punish unions for previous labor strikes at the original 787 plant in Washington state by opening a second 787 plant in South Carolina, which is a right-to-work state. Despite this frivolous complaint, Boeing has moved forward with plans to create over 1,000 new private sector jobs at its new facility in South Carolina all while creating an additional 2,000 union represented jobs in Washington state since 2009.  Isakson has cosponsored legislation, S.964, the Job Protection Act, to prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from dictating where private companies may do business.

Isakson also criticized the National Labor Relations Board for proposing a rule change last week to remove some of the procedures necessary to hold a union election so that union elections can be held faster. Currently, it typically takes 38 to 42 days between the day an election petition is filed and the day the election is held. Under the proposed rule change, that time period could be shortened to as little as 10 to 12 days, making it more difficult for management to fairly educate and inform their employees about issues related to unionization. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also opposed this rule calling it a “disguised effort to restrict the ability of employers to express their views during an election campaign.”