On July 24, 2012, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, of the House Education & Workforce Committee announced that on July 25 starting at 10 a.m. it would hold a hearing concerning possible amendments to the National Labor Relations Act (“Act”).  The hearing is to be chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN).

The House of Representatives has approved a number of proposals to modify the Act, including legislation that would preserve long-standing union election procedures and that would prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from deciding the location of businesses in the U.S. According to the Committee’s press release, “[a]dditional efforts are necessary to ensure federal labor law is fair and responsive to the needs of today’s workforce.”

The press release notes that the NLRB, among other things, has taken steps to expand its authority over Native Americans.

The hearing will involve the examination of NLRB decisions affecting secret ballot elections, worker compensation, and tribal sovereignty, as well as discuss legislative proposals intended to protect workers and Native Americans. More detail concerning the hearing can be found at http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings. 

The witnesses scheduled to testify are:

The Honorable Robert Odawi Porter, President Seneca Nation of Indians Salamanca, Seneca Nation

Mr. William L. Messenger, Staff Attorney, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation

Ms. Devki K. Virk, Member, Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C.

Dr. Tim Kane, Chief Economist, Hudson Institute