WFI Urges House Subcommittee To Stop Micro-Unions

The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) today released the following statement urging members of the U.S. House Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee to support a measure stopping micro-unions in its FY 2013 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill. In August 2011, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided in the Specialty Healthcare case to upend nearly half a century of labor law allowing the formation of multiple small unions with varying interests and agendas under one workplace’s roof.

In a recent case, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union petitioned to represent 42 of Bergdorf Goodman’s 372 sales associates selling women’s shoes and working in the company’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City.  The employer sought a storewide unit or one with all its sales associates, but the NLRB’s regional director sided with labor bosses and approved the micro-union..

“Micro-unions only serve the interests of one constituency, union bosses.  They hurt workers and businesses, and result in division, discord and disharmony in American workplaces,” said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI).  “The decision made by President Obama’s labor board allowing micro-unions was a giveaway to Big Labor which allows them to unfairly gain a foothold in businesses by organizing little unions with as few as two or three members.  These mini collective bargaining units entangle employers in an expensive mess of union red tape and competing demands.  Under economic circumstances that appear more and more difficult by the day, it only makes good sense for members of the U.S. House Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee to stop the job-killing micro-unions.”