In response to the lobbying efforts of IEC members and staff, Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.) recently introduced H.R. 1909 to limit the number of businesses subject to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also introduced similar legislation (S.783) in the Senate in April.
The NLRB is an independent federal agency created in 1935 to enforce the National Labor Relations Act and settle labor disputes between unions and management. In 1959, Congress passed a law to give the NLRB jurisdiction over businesses based on their gross receipts. Once a business passes that level, it’s subject to intervention by the NLRB. Businesses below the threshold are subject to actions within state law. As inflation has increased over the years, the NLRB has acquired jurisdiction over much smaller businesses that wasn’t originally intended, raising the expense and workload for the NLRB as well as for businesses.
