Big Labor Flexes Its Muscle

 

By Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

 

Nothing—not even rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court or the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—is deterring Big Labor from aggressively pushing its antibusiness agenda in Washington.

 

Congress is poised to act on a number of bills that would greatly expand workplace mandates and litigation. One piece of legislation would effectively do away with statutes of limitations for wage discrimination claims and expand the class of people who can bring such claims. The bill, which has already passed the House, is designed to reverse a Supreme Court decision that clearly defines time restrictions for wage discrimination cases.

 

A separate bill would subject employers to lawsuits over even legitimate pay differences among employees and would require the federal government to issue pay guidelines in certain markets. Yet another bill likely to see action in Congress would reverse a NLRB ruling by permitting organized labor to unionize more supervisors, depriving employers of the right to insist on supervisor loyalty. A bill to create a paid leave mandate is also gaining traction.

 

What this amounts to is a radical rewriting of employment laws pushed by organized labor. If even one of these bills is enacted, businesses could be forced to lay off workers, stalling economic growth.

 

The U.S. Chamber is determined not to let Big Labor’s power play go unchecked. We are engaged in an intensive lobbying, communications, and grassroots effort to turn back any and all anti-business proposals. Help us by joining the fight!