Washington (March 4, 2015) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted to reverse the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule on union elections. Under this new rule, regulations for union election procedures will be modernized and streamlined so that workers can better exercise their legal right to form a union if they choose.  

“America’s labor movement fights tirelessly every day to improve the lives of workers in Massachusetts and across the country. The National Labor Relations Act is a bedrock of American democracy, giving workers the right to organize a union in their workplace. But Senate Republicans want to eliminate the NLRB election rule that makes it easier for workers to vote on forming a union in a timely manner. They want to undermine the rights of workers to free and fair elections to unionize.

“Workers deserve the right to organize without needless delays of months or even years before they get to cast a vote. They deserve a union election process that cannot be manipulated to gain unfair advantage. They deserve a process that is clear and efficient, not one that is bogged down with time-consuming, needless bureaucratic procedures, leaving the election timeline vulnerable to delay, manipulation and wasted resources.

“The modest but important reforms developed by the National Labor Relations Board will make it easier for workers to exercise their right to form a union in a timely manner. They also will reduce unnecessary litigation and continue to allow companies to express their opinions about union representation. Rolling these measures back is unacceptable and nothing more than a corporate attack on our unions, our workers, and the fundamental right to free and fair union elections.”