Joe Biden likes to think of himself as “the most pro-union president in American history.” Only time will tell if his assessment is correct, but his case just got a little stronger thanks to his progressive appointees at the National Labor Relations Board.
Last week the federal agency that oversees collective bargaining issued a landmark ruling that experts believe will make it easier for workers to form unions. The decision, known as Cemex, for the building materials company at the heart of the case, creates real consequences for employers who break the law in an effort to keep a union out.
When workers want a union, they typically gather signed cards and file for a secret-ballot election. But under the Cemex standard, when workers demonstrate they have majority support for a union, the onus is on the company to either recognize the union or promptly ask the NLRB to conduct an election to determine if a majority want union representation.
Then, if the company breaks the law in…