RILA Reacts to ‘Disappointing’ Senate Vote on Micro-Unions

“Disappointing” was the word used by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) to describe the outcome of a Senate Appropriations Committee vote on an amendment that would have prevented the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from recognizing micro-unions. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) failed to pass the committee by a vote of 15 to 15.

“[W]e will continue to pursue all avenues to block the NLRB’s job-killing micro-union decision,” vowed Katherine Lugar, EVP for public affairs for Arlington, Va.-based RILA, whose members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers. “Micro-unions will cause division within the retail workforce, leading to conflicts and complexities that will undermine retailers’ ability to grow and create jobs. The NLRB’s micro-union decision benefits Big Labor at the expense of individual employees and employers. Micro-unions undermine the flexibility and the cross-training that retail employees seek and the agility that retailers rely upon to meet the expectations of customers.”

This week, RILA and the Retail Litigation Center (RLC) jointly submitted an amicus curiae brief to the NLRB in support of Bergdorf Goodman's appeal of a NLRB regional director's recognition of a micro-union at a New York store location.

Micro-unions were created as a result of the NLRB’s August 2011 Specialty Healthcare decision.