Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act

MEA normally sends “alerts” on legislation that has already passed and impacts our members. In this case, we are emailing to let you know of an important vote by the  U.S. House of Representatives in case you want to contact your representatives in Washington. The bill, Protecting Jobs from Government Inference Act (H.R. 2587), would limit the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) authority to veto a private employer’s decision on where to locate its employees. This bill has been introduced as a result of the following situation:
In 2009, The Boeing Company decided to expand its 787 Dreamliner aircraft production capacity outside of Washington State by investing in a new assembly plant in South Carolina. Boeing’s workforce in Washington is unionized, whereas South Carolina is a Right-to-Work state. Boeing created approximately 1,000 new jobs at the new South Carolina facility without impacting the existing jobs in Washington State.
On April 20, the NLRB filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Boeing. It alleged that the company discriminated against union employees in Washington State by hiring employees at the new South Carolina plant. The NLRB claimed Boeing’s action was a “transfer” of some Dreamliner work to South Carolina and they want to force Boeing to bring the work to the union employees.
The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act to prevent the NLRB from ordering an employer to:

1. restore any operations,
2. rescind any relocation or transfer, or
3. make an investment at a particular plant, facility, or location.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is urging all manufacturers to contact members of the U.S. House and urge their support for HR 2587. Below is the text of an email MEA received from NAM:
As the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) pursues its aggressive regulatory agenda, new survey results demonstrate how the NLRB’s actions are hurting job creation and economic growth. The NAM recently polled over 8,700 manufacturers to gauge their concern about the government agency’s approach. More than 1,000 responses clearly show that the NLRB is overreaching. 
When asked if the NLRB’s complaint against Boeing would impact their hiring decisions, 60 percent of manufacturers said it would.  Further, an overwhelming 69 percent of manufacturers said the NLRB’s overall agenda would hurt their ability to create jobs.  The results send an important message. You can find our one-pager on the survey at www.nam.org/labor.
Tomorrow the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Protecting Jobs from Government Inference Act (H.R. 2587). This legislation will prohibit the NLRB from dictating where a private business can and cannot locate jobs in the United States. It is critical that members of Congress hear from manufacturers. Please contact your lawmakers and tell them to support jobs and vote for this legislation.
Click here to contact Congress.
Tell Congress TODAY that the NLRB’s actions will negatively impact your ability to create and retain jobs. 
If you have any questions or need more information on this pending legislation, please don’t hesitate to give MEA a call.