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With the defeat of its No. 1 priority – the deceptively titled Employee Free Choice Act, or union card check – organized labor and its supporters are seeking any method possible to force unionism on the private sector. Case in point: the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently announced a proposed federal rule requiring private employers to display pro-union posters at their businesses.

Essentially, the rule would force employers to display posters or other notices in prominent locations visited by employees to explain or “promote” employees’ rights to collectively bargain, distribute union literature or engage in other union activities or discussion without the fear of reprisal. If the rule is adopted, an employer’s failure to post the NLRB notice would constitute an unfair labor practice charge.
 
The proposed rule goes even further by requiring employers who communicate primarily by e-mail or other electronic means to post the notice electronically. In other words, the notice would be required to be put in front of every employee in some fashion.

What will not be displayed or conveyed to employees is the true affect of collectivized labor. The higher wages, benefits and pensions sought by union negotiators come with a cost, including increases in the price of products or services, potential job losses and stifled job creation. According to a recent study by economist Dr. Anne Layne-Farrar from the non-partisan consulting firm LECG Consulting, the unionization of a predicted 1.5 million existing jobs under EFCA in year one would have lead to the loss of 600,000 jobs by the following year.

As another example of the federal government’s attempt to tip the scales in favor of organized labor, the NLRB announcement is not altogether surprising. With two key pro-union members appointed to the board in 2010, the latest development matches predictions that NLRB would play a more activist role with regard to unionization, particularly in the wake of the defeat of EFCA.

NLRB’s pro-union poster rule announcement is yet another example of why the business community must remain on guard against big labor’s attempts to advance its anti-jobs, anti-worker agenda through the regulatory process. The fight over EFCA may be over, but the effort to keep its harmful provisions from seeing the light of day continues.

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Founded in 1916, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association, with its membership comprising businesses of all sizes and across all industry sectors. The PA Chamber is The Statewide Voice of Business.