Of Geese, Ganders, and Capitols
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 by AdminStuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation writes in the Washington Times of laws that free enterprise entrepreneurs face but those from which Congress exempts itself:
As my colleagues James Sherk and Ryan O’Donnell point out in a recent Heritage Foundation Backgrounder, many members of Congress can advocate new laws to push workers into joining unions with enthusiasm because their own congressional employees do not and will not have the right to form a union.
It is time for Congress to work under the same rules it imposes on the private sector. If members think that the burden of these unionization laws is not excessive, then they should apply them to their own offices. If they are not prepared to do that, they should not impose them on businesses in Main Street America.
Right now the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the main law governing unionization, applies only to the private sector. Even though other laws allow many federal employees to organize and bargain collectively, employees in the personal offices of congressmen and senators are excluded.
It seems that Congress – at least for their own offices – understands the downside of unionization.
Yet members of Congress who support the current bills – which would do such things as end secret ballots in labor elections and in other ways push workers into unions – claim that the proposed laws would actually improve the workplace without curtailing workers’ rights or burdening employers.
If that is so, they should be happy to add an amendment at last permitting their own staffs to unionize under the NLRA.
Sheesh.
Tags: Congress
