Providing for Congressional Disapproval of a Rule Submitted by the National Labor Relations Board

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 8, an unnecessary partisan attack on hardworking Americans that will interfere with the rights of workers to an expeditious election on union representation.

America's middle class workers should be free to decide if they want an election. Unfortunately, the current process can be mired in litigation, and in some cases, workers waiting for an election have faced interference or intimidation from outside groups. The NLRB's rule safeguards the ability of workers to choose whether to be represented by a union without confronting unnecessary delays.

It makes little sense why Congress would want to get in the way of middle class Americans--factory line workers, health care workers, and utility workers--who ask for an election on union representation. It is also unreasonable to assume that employers, many of which have sophisticated legal teams, are going to be caught flat-footed. There is no ambush here.

Mr. Speaker, the NLRB had a lengthy rulemaking proceeding with thousands of comments. It is unfair and, in fact, draconian to now use the Congressional Review Act to try to undermine the rights of workers by getting rid of this rule. The resolution is an ill-advised attempt to silence the voice of American workers, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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