HEARING ON WORKER–MANAGEMENT RELATIONS: EXAMINING THE NEED TO MODERNIZE FEDERAL LABOR LAW HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EMPLOYMENT, LABOR, AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, APRIL 26, 2018 Serial No. 115–42 Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce ( Available via the World Wide Web: www.govinfo.gov or Committee address: http://edworkforce.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 29–829 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:00 Nov 08, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\E&W JACKETS\29829.TXT CANDRA CEWDOCROOM with DISTILLER COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina, Chairwoman Joe Wilson, South Carolina Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’ Scott, Virginia Duncan Hunter, California Ranking Member David P. Roe, Tennessee Susan A. Davis, California Glenn ‘‘GT’’ Thompson, Pennsylvania Rau´ l M. Grijalva, Arizona Tim Walberg, Michigan Joe Courtney, Connecticut Brett Guthrie, Kentucky Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio Todd Rokita, Indiana Jared Polis, Colorado Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Luke Messer, Indiana Northern Mariana Islands Bradley Byrne, Alabama Frederica S. Wilson, Florida David Brat, Virginia Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin Mark Takano, California Elise Stefanik, New York Alma S. Adams, North Carolina Rick W. Allen, Georgia Mark DeSaulnier, California Jason Lewis, Minnesota Donald Norcross, New Jersey Francis Rooney, Florida Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware Tom Garrett, Jr., Virginia Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Lloyd K. Smucker, Pennsylvania Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire A. Drew Ferguson, IV, Georgia Adriano Espaillat, New York Ron Estes, Kansas Karen Handel, Georgia Brandon Renz, Staff Director Denise Forte, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EMPLOYMENT, LABOR, AND PENSIONS TIM WALBERG, Michigan, Chairman Joe Wilson, South Carolina Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, David P. Roe, Tennessee Northern Mariana Islands Todd Rokita, Indiana Ranking Member Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Rick W. Allen, Georgia Donald Norcross, New Jersey Jason Lewis, Minnesota Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware Francis Rooney, Florida Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire Lloyd K. Smucker, Pennsylvania Adriano Espaillat, New York A. Drew Ferguson, IV, Georgia Joe Courtney, Connecticut Ron Estes, Kansas Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon (II) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:00 Nov 08, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\E&W JACKETS\29829.TXT CANDRA CEWDOCROOM with DISTILLER CONTENTS Page Hearing held on April 26, 2018 .............................................................................. 1 Statement of Members: Sablan, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho, Ranking Member, a Representa- tive in Congress from the Northern Mariana Islands ............................... 4 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 33 Walberg, Hon. Tim, Chairman, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions ..................................................................................... 1 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 2 Statement of Witnesses: Bowman, Mr. Terry, CEO, Autoworker, Ypsilanti, MI ................................. 68 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 70 Jackson, Mr. Tommy, Long Haul Auto-Transport Driver, Hermiston, OR . 43 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 45 Lofaso, Dr. Anne M., Arthur B. Hodges Professor of Law, West Virginia University College of Law, Morgantown, WV ............................................ 50 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 53 Marculewicz, Mr. Stefan J., Shareholder, Lettler Mendelson P.C., Wash- ington, DC ..................................................................................................... 35 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 38 Additional Submissions: Rooney, Hon. Francis, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida: Report: Worker Centers: Union Front Groups and the Law ................. 124 Mr. Sablan: Letter dated February 9, 2018, from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ........................................................................................ 7 Letter dated March 20, 2018, from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ........................................................................................ 14 Article: Dysfunction and Infighting Cripple Labor Agency ................... 26 Scott, Hon. Robert C. ‘‘Bobby’’, a Representative in Congress from the State of Virginia: Letter dated February 23, 2018, from Mr. Scott .................................... 85 Letter dated February 21, 2018, from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ........................................................................................ 87 Letter dated March 27, 2018, from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ........................................................................................ 104 (III) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:00 Nov 08, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\E&W JACKETS\29829.TXT CANDRA CEWDOCROOM with DISTILLER VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:00 Nov 08, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\E&W JACKETS\29829.TXT CANDRA CEWDOCROOM with DISTILLER HEARING ON WORKER–MANAGEMENT RELATIONS: EXAMINING THE NEED TO MODERNIZE FEDERAL LABOR LAW Thursday, April 26, 2018 House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, Committee on Education and the Workforce, Washington, D.C. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:33 a.m. in Room 2175 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Tim Walberg [Chair- man of the Subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Walberg, Wilson of South Carolina, Roe, Allen, Lewis, Rooney, Smucker, Foxx; Sablan, Norcross, Shea- Porter, Espaillat, Courtney, Bonamici, and Scott. Staff Present: Courtney Butcher, Director of Member Services and Coalitions; Michael Comer, Press Secretary; Rob Green, Direc- tor of Workforce Policy; Callie Harman, Professional Staff Member; Nancy Locke, Chief Clerk; Geoffrey MacLeay, Professional Staff Member; John Martin, Workforce Policy Counsel; Kelley McNabb, Communications Director; James Mullen, Director of Information Technology; Krisann Pearce, General Counsel; Benjamin Ridder, Legislative Assistant; Molly McLaughlin Salmi, Deputy Director of Workforce Policy; Olivia Voslow, Legislative Assistant; Joseph Wheeler, Professional Staff Member; Lauren Williams, Professional Staff Member; and Michael Woeste, Deputy Press Secretary; Tylease Alli, Minority Clerk/Intern and Fellow Coordinator; Kyle deCant, Minority Labor Policy Counsel; Andre Lindsay, Minority Staff Assistant; Kevin McDermott, Minority Senior Labor Policy Advisor; Richard Miller, Minority Director of Labor Policy; Veronique Pluvoise, Minority Staff Director; and Kimberly Toots, Minority Labor Policy Fellow. Chairman WALBERG. A quorum being present, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions will come to order. Good morning, and welcome to today’s Subcommittee hearing. I would like to thank our panel of witnesses and our members for joining today’s important discussion. Today, we will examine the need to modernize certain federal workplace laws, including updates to policies within the National Labor Relations Act to strengthen the rights of workers to make free and informed decisions about whether they want to join or re- main associated with a union. (1) VerDate Mar 15 2010 11:00 Nov 08, 2018 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\E&W JACKETS\29829.TXT CANDRA CEWDOCROOM with DISTILLER 2 We will also look at issues surrounding worker centers, and whether they are complying with relevant statues under the Labor- Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, LMRDA, and if not, what updates need to be made in order to ensure transparency and accountability. Worker centers were designed to be a resource in low-income communities. However, current ambiguities in the law have al- lowed them to engage in direct negotiations with employers on be- half of employees. The insufficient reporting standards currently in place limit the amount of information available to the Department of Labor and the public on just how many of these organizations currently exist and the types of activities they engage in with em- ployers and employees. Enacted in 1935—that is before I was born; I want you to know that. [Laughter.] Chairman WALBERG. I would ask my colleagues to help me out on that one. Long before, okay. The NLRA guarantees most private-sector employees the right to organize and bargain collectively with their employers through rep- resentatives of their choosing, or to simply refrain from such activi- ties. While this remains the mission of the NLRA, the law is show- ing its age. Many of the law’s key provisions have not been updated since 1947, and it may be time to revisit the law to meet the needs of our 21st century workforce. Additionally, the National Labor Relations Board, created through the NLRA, was designed to act as a neutral arbitrator to ensure a level