Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

2011 A Year in Grassroots

Pelosi, Unplugged: Boeing Should Unionize or Say Bye-Bye to New Plant, New Jobs

It’s no secret that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been the poster child of overreach and overregulation from the federal government. This unelected board of bureaucrats has issued ruling after ruling that overtly seeks to benefit Big Labor at the expense of American employers.

When The Boeing Company wanted to open a new plant — with upwards of 1,000 new jobs — in South Carolina, the NLRB sued to stop it, because the jobs would be non-union (South Carolina is a “Right to Work” state.)  

If you’re like us, you agree that this NLRB decision is an egregious abuse of power that threatens American jobs..    But,  if you’re like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, you think the NLRB decision was right — and that Boeing should simply unionize ... or not build its new plant.

Believe it or not, that’s exactly what Congresswoman Pelosi told CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo in this recent interview:

What do you think of Pelosi’s comments?  Log in and leave your comments, or share your ideas with us on Twitter @USChamberAction.

Ghouls, Goblins and Government Regulation

Fighting Back Against the NLRB

Perhaps nothing embodies the notion of the federal government getting in the way of American job creators more than the overreach of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The most outrageous example of this overreach, of course, is the NLRB’s recent attempt to prevent the Boeing Company from establishing a new non-union aircraft production facility in South Carolina, costing the state thousands of new, good paying jobs.

The U.S. Chamber is fighting back.

As The Hill reports, “Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched a round of television ads in Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia that criticized the NLRB for its Boeing complaint.”

Watch our new ad below, and share it with your friends, family and colleagues to help spread the word:

Learn more about the National Labor Relations Board here as Free Enterprise Magazine takes a look inside this little-known independent agency.

Wisconsin Voters Show Appreciation for Real Leadership

Earlier this year, we saluted Governor Scott Walker and the majority of the Wisconsin legislature for stepping up to lead on real budget reforms meant to put their state on the path to fiscal health.

Despite reports showing the positive impact that these reforms are already having, the public sector labor unions are still seething about their passage — the impact of which weakened the unions’ iron grip on the state’s budget.

The unions tried to mount recall elections against the state senators who supported these budget reforms — but the election returns last week showed that Big Labor came up short.

Kudos to the voters of Wisconsin for turning their voices into action in support of real leadership.  We hope that the example provided by Wisconsin’s governor, legislators and voters alike can be used by lawmakers across the country — especially here in Washington — to provide bold and honest reforms to put America back to work.

To make sure that happens, it is up to you to hold your legislators accountable.  This video, taken at our recent Governors Summit, Governor Walker gave us some recommendations on how you too can get off the side lines and influence the conversation.

P.S. Want to get involved right away?  Explore America's Town Hall to speak up and stay engaged. 

The Biggest 'Big Labor' Overreach To Date

It was only a matter of time.  With the 2012 elections around the corner and Big Labor’s top priority, Card Check, dead on arrival in the 112th Congress, it was only a matter of time before the administration took drastic measures on behalf of the unions.

However, even we were surprised by how far recent proposals from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Department of Labor (DOL) have gone.  Meant to appease labor in advance of the 2012 elections and as a way to boost union membership (at an all time low), these propositions are the largest hand-outs that the administration has pursued to date.

The DOL issued a proposed rule that would vastly expand reporting obligations for employers under the so-called “persuader” regulations, making it virtually impossible for companies to obtain the legal advice they need to safely exercise their statutory rights to express their views during union organizing campaigns.

The NLRB’s new proposal would significantly shorten the time employers have to speak with their employees about union representation, potentially shortening the entire election process to just 10 days from current median of 38 days.

America doesn’t need unelected bureaucracies to play favorites with special interests, especially when it comes at the expense of our job creators.  What our employers need is a fair playing field that allows them to grow, prosper and create good-paying American jobs.

When Big Labor failed to pass its top priorities through legislation, they turned to the administration to enact their agenda through regulatory fiat.  It’s not only bad for American employers and damaging to our economy – it’s bad politics.

Rules to speed up union elections and to prevent employers from seeking advice are more than misguided,  they’re unfair.  Comments to help oppose both of these recent proposals are due on August 22nd. Given the urgent deadline for comments, and extremely important nature of these rule changes, we cannot afford to miss this opportunity for action.  Send comments to the NLRB and DOL now.

Faceoff: NLRB v Free Enterprise (Round 1)

Earlier this week, legal representatives from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), International Association of Machinists Union and The Boeing Company came face to face in Washington state for, what seems like, the first round of the legal battle to halt production of the aircraft manufacturers newest construction plant recently relocated from Everett, WA to Charleston, SC. 

The NLRB is forging forward with a case that accuses the Boeing Company of retaliating against a 58-day strike of unionized workers three years ago, despite over1,000 jobs created and close to $1 billion invested in the new plant, as well as 2,000 jobs in the pre-existing plants in Washington’s Puget Sound.

Though these initial hearings are more or less procedural, rumors are spinning about a long and drawn out case, which may ultimately lead to a Supreme Court hearing. However, Boeing is hoping that the case might be dropped given the ambiguity of their wrongdoing. 

Much of the same is explained in a recent Bloomberg News article:

Before the labor board files a complaint, it should be clear that the target of the complaint has crossed a legal line. No such transgression exists in this case. Rather than the company punishing the union for striking, it appears that the board is seeking to punish the company for opening a plant in a right-to-work state.

Is it fair for Boeing, and South Carolina for that matter, to be demonized for producing the ideal economic environment to attract such business? According the U.S. Chamber’s Workforce Freedom Initiative, South Carolina has ranked in the top-tier for workforce competitiveness on the basis of its even labor and employer rights compared to its counterpart in this saga, Washington, which scored in the Tier III or Poor grade level.

So much for Boeing being able to take its business to greener, more competitive, right-to-work, pastures.

So, what’s your take? Is the case stifling our free enterprise system, an unabashed assault on business, or just plain counterproductive to the state of our (already slow enough) recovering economy?

A Tale of Two States

Last week, the Wall Street Journal editorial board published two separate editorials that highlighted the vastly different economic trajectories of two states: Texas and Illinois.

On the one hand, we have Texas, a state in which “some 37% of all net new American jobs since the recovery began were created.”

Then we have Illinois, a state that “has ranked 47th of the 50 states in job creation in the last decade, and has lost more private jobs (360,000) than the entire private work force of Delaware.”

As we said, two vastly different trajectories.  Perhaps the key to America’s economic recovery lies in looking what Texas has done right — and what Illinois has done wrong.

The Texas model?  According to the editorial:

Texas has no state income tax. Its regulatory conditions are contained and flexible. It is fiscally responsible and government is small. Its right-to-work law doesn't impose unions on businesses or employees. It is open to global trade and competition: Houston, San Antonio and El Paso are entrepôts for commerce, especially in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Illinois model?  Well, for starters:

Illinois gained nationwide notoriety in January when Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a 67% hike in the personal income tax rate while lifting the corporate tax rate to 9.5%, the fourth highest in the nation.

We’d also like to add that, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey released by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, Illinois’ abusive lawsuit climate ranked 45th out of 50 states.  Meanwhile, Texas Governor Rick Perry last month signed into law the third major piece of lawsuit reform legislation enacted in the state during the past ten years.

Further, a recent report from the U.S. Chamber’s Workforce Freedom Initiative ranked Texas in the top tier of all states in terms of its labor and employment regulations — while Illinois ranked in the ... you guessed it ... bottom tier. 

In short, Texas is showing the success of an economy in which the government gets out of the way and lets the businesses do what they do best — create jobs.

Illinois, on the other hand, is showing what happens when you put big government first, increase the tax burden on job creators, and create a lawsuit climate that favors trial lawyers over jobs.

We choose the Texas model.  Which model will our elected officials in Washington, D.C. choose?

This Memorial Day, Let's Hire Our Heroes

America is struggling with unemployment – that’s no secret. However, what is arguably more disheartening to see is the number of our former servicemen and woman, and their families, facing the strains of joblessness.

“The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was well above the national average last year, at 11.5%, and more than a quarter of the veterans between the ages of 18 to 24 are without work,” reported the USA Today.              

The article, written the U.S. Chamber’s, Lt. Col Kevin Schmiegel (retired), and former National Security Adviser and 32nd Marine Corps Commandant, General James Jones, highlights the Chamber’s Hiring our Heroes Program, a series of job fairs across the country, bringing  the business community and veterans together to facilitate meaningful employment. 

“While everyone in the business community believes deeply that this is the right thing to do, it's not charity or just "good PR." Even with a 9% unemployment rate, a lack of skilled workers is hurting businesses, hindering our economic recovery, and undermining our global competitiveness.”

As the men and women who keep our country safe and free, there is no community more qualified to keep our economy strong and thriving.

This holiday weekend, as we honor the service members who devoted their lives to making the USA great, let’s also set a path forward for the men and woman who have recently returned. This weekend is for them too.

Policy of Punishment

There is a troubling wind that has blown into Washington, carrying with it the notion that the best way to fix our economy is by punishing those who turn a profit and create new jobs.

Self-defeating?  Yes.  The path to prosperity?  No. 

Take, for example, the Senate vote earlier this week to increase taxes on producers of domestic energy.  Do they really think that making it tougher for these American companies to survive is going to lead to lower gas prices?  Thankfully, that measure was rejected.

Or how about the National Labor Relations Board punishing Boeing (and, more importantly, the people of South Carolina) by demanding that the company halt all construction on a nearly complete manufacturing plant in Charleston that has already created more than one thousand jobs through construction alone.

Then there’s the notion being promoted by some politicians that we should fix the deficit by slapping punitive tax hikes on those Americans who are most likely to run and own their own small businesses. These hard-working Americans are the ones who have created more than 60% of the new jobs in this country over the past decade. They need our help, not our punishment.

Now, of course, is the pending proposal by the White House to force all American companies who compete for federal government contracts to disclose all political contributions in excess of $5,000. This raises red flags of “pay to play” politics, and many employers are fearful that they will be punished merely for exercising their Constitutional right to participate in the political process.

American businesses — large and small — aren’t the the enemy.  They’re our future.

Right now, they don’t need to be punished.  They need as much support as they can get to recover, succeed and start hiring more workers.

An Unabashed Assault on Business

It’s no secret that our top priority at the U.S. Chamber is jobs. You only have to look as far as the front of our building for proof -- where a giant JOBS banner hangs. For that reason alone, the Chamber headquarters served as the perfect backdrop for yesterday’s press conference with Governor Nikki Haley and several members of Congress to express serious concern with the National Labor Relations Board’s complaint against Boeing.

The NLRB is demanding that Boeing halt all construction on a nearly complete manufacturing plant in Charleston that has already created over one thousand jobs through construction alone. The Labor Board reasoning is that Boeing allegedly discriminated against International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in violation of the National Labor Relations Act when they chose to build the manufacturing plan from the state of Washington to a South Carolina, a state which upholds ‘Right-to-Work laws.’

However, as pointed out by business leaders in attendance this is much more than contesting ‘right-to-work laws,’ this is about the NLRB setting a precedent to of “allowing unions to hold a virtual ‘veto’ over business decisions.”

Businesses must be able to make the best business decisions for their company, employees and product. The success of those three things is what makes or breaks the American Dream.

It is the same anti-business climate that is forcing many businesses overseas – taking the thousands of jobs they create with them.

As Boeing’s CEO and President, Jim McNerney said in an op-ed today:

“U.S. tax and regulatory policies already make it more attractive for many companies to build new manufacturing capacity overseas. That's something the administration has said it wants to change and is taking steps to address. It appears that message hasn't made it to the front offices of the NLRB."

To read the full op-ed, visit the Wall Street Journal. 

With everything busness is up agains in today’s climae, the last thing they can afford is the unabashed assault on employers now being pushed by the NLRB.

U.S. Chamber Briefs the Bloggers on Regulation

Three U.S. Chamber executives are participating in a Bloggers Briefing today at 12 P.M. EST, as we host the event at our Washington headquarters.  The briefing will highlight what major legislative dilemmas we are facing in terms of health care, energy, and labor policies.  U.S. Chamber’s executive VP for Government affairs, Bruce Josten, will be joined by colleagues Bill Kovacs and Randy Johnson to weigh in on the decisions that unaccountable federal agencies are making  what the Chamber is doing to restore balance to the regulatory process

I will be checking in to report post-briefing, but in the meantime follow along on Twitter and participate by sending questions and comments and including #TBB in your tweets.

What We're Watching - March 28, 2011

“It was supposed to be one of the clearest messages of the 2010 elections: Voters were finally fed up with government spending,” Politico reported this morning, but were the voters really serious?  In the last few months, state leaders received the urgent call for action and began working to pare down the massive budgets and entitlement systems in their states to secure a sound fiscal future. However, the same voters who called for reined in spending aren’t taking well to the short term tough decisions being made, and their Governors approval ratings are feeling the consequences.  Is your state in a similar situation?  Click here  to read more.