Trump NLRB rules bosses don’t have to share employee list during organizing campaign

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is proposing its third change to how union elections are conducted under Trump. This change would limit the information that is available to unions when they are organizing a workplace.

Under the new rule, employers would no longer are required to hand over workers’ personal email addresses, home addresses and telephone numbers, and cell phone numbers to the union. Currently, they need to provide this information to the unions for all eligible voters within the bargaining unit.

SERIOUS IMPACT
This change could drastically affect organizing.

Without access to phone numbers or emails, organizers would be at a severe disadvantage over the bosses who not only have the ability to call or email their workers but also hold captive audience meetings where they provide false information to discourage employees from signing union authorization cards.

NOT NEW REQUIREMENT
Employers have been required to hand over information about their workers since 1966.  In 2014 the rule was expanded to include email addresses and phone numbers.

In an interview with Bloomberg Law, AFL-CIO General Counsel Craig Becker said the latest proposal, like the Trump NLRB’s earlier rulemakings, is “aimed solely at satisfying employer demands to tilt the law in their favor.” There’s no evidence of abuse—or even complaints of abuse—related to worker information that’s required on eligible voter lists, he said.

If the rule is implemented, unions are sure to sue. Earlier changes to election rules were met with lawsuits from the AFL-CIO. In one case, a judge struck down a large portion of the change, while the other case is still pending. Public comment on the proposed change is open until Sept. 27.

(Edited from story by Brian Young, UcommBlog)