Washington, DC—Fifteen Senate Republicans introduced a bill Sept. 8 intended to make it harder for 
unions to win the ability to represent employees in a workplace and keep it. The legislation, called the Employee Rights Act, would outlaw employers recognizing unions by card check, and mandate that unions not just win a majority of those who cast votes in a secret-ballot election, but a majority of all employees in the workplace. It would also undo the Obama-era National Labor Relations Board rule that shortened the period between an election being authorized and the actual vote, a rule that employers—who would prefer more time to campaign against the union—have denounced as “ambush elections.” It would also require unions to run for recertification if there has been significant turnover at a workplace. “This comprehensive workers’ rights bill does not include a single provision that empowers employers at the expense of unions,” said lead sponsor Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The 15 cosponsors include Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; unsuccessful presidential candidates Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Dean Heller (R-Nev.). The House version, introduced in May, has 90 co-sponsors, all Republicans. Read more
