September 21st, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government (ALG) President Bill Wilson today urged members of the House of Representatives to cosponsor legislation proposed by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) that would remove the quasi-judicial powers from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to act against employers, the “Protecting American Jobs Act”.
“For 75 years, the NLRB has worked to facilitate the organization of labor unions at the expense of private employers, with the overreaching powers to act as prosecutor, judge, and jury against those companies at the behest of union bosses,” Wilson said.
The law would strip the Board of all its judicial authority, making federal courts the sole arbiter of alleged infractions of labor law.
“The NLRB is not a court, it is an agency of the executive branch, and yet for nearly a century, its rulemakings have been granted the weight of court decisions. No longer,” Wilson declared.
In an exclusive interview with ALG, Rep. Scott described the bill and said the labor disputes were better handled in the courts. “It takes away the judicial authority of the National Labor Relations Board, [and] puts the decisions in the courts,” he said, adding, “Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for this agency. The unions and corporate America can fight it out in the courts without doing it on the taxpayer’s dime.”
Rep. Scott thanked ALG for its support of the bill, saying, “I don’t think this bill would be where it is without Americans for Limited Government. I can’t thank them enough for their support in moving this legislation forward.”
The bill, HR 2978, has already attracted 26 cosponsors, whom Wilson praised, saying, “These representatives are embracing the most comprehensive legislation this session to rein in the NLRB’s abuses against private industry.”
A poll conducted by the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend on behalf of ALG found that 66 percent of respondents thought the agency had too much power “to officiate legal proceedings over private U.S. companies in its own court system”.
“The results of the poll are overwhelming. Although the Board is not widely known, the more respondents found out about the agency, the more they opposed it,” Wilson said. He urged members of Congress to continue to educate their constituents of the “NLRB’s excessive authority to act against employers on behalf of big labor.”
The NLRB has come under increasing scrutiny due to its case attempting to bar Boeing from setting up a manufacturing facility in South Carolina, a right-to-work state, which Wilson called “a teachable moment.”
“Sadly, the Boeing case, as horrendous it is, is only a symptom of the problem — which is that this agency has far too much power to begin with to issue rulings against privately owned companies to directly benefit unions. Congress needs to strip its quasi-judicial powers at the source so similar abuses no longer occur,” Wilson concluded.
Attachments:
“Treating the NLRB symptoms not enough,” by ALG President Bill Wilson, September 21st, 2011 athttp://netrightdaily.com/2011/09/treating-the-nlrb-symptoms-not-enough/ .
the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend poll on behalf of Americans for Limited Government regarding National Labor Relations Board, Aug. 19-23, 2011 at www.getliberty.org/files/NLRBPoll8-19to8-23-11.pdf .
Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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