Alexander Statement on NLRB Decision to Suspend Latest Attempt to Undermine State Right-to-Work Laws

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7 - Senate labor committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today made the following statement on the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) announcement that it would suspend its call for briefs on whether employees in right-to-work states should be forced to pay union fees, even if they are not a member of their workplace's union.

“The NLRB’s request for briefs suggested to me that the board was thinking about undermining state right-to-work laws, which is as outrageous and misguided as it is damaging for worker rights and job growth in the country’s 25 right-to-work states, including Tennessee. Not only should the board never have undertaken this effort in the first place—it should resist any future attempts to undermine a law that’s been settled for nearly 70 years. I cannot think of anything more damaging to middle-income Tennesseans than undermining our right-to-work law. I’ve seen over the last 30 years how our right-to-work law has helped to attract the auto industry to our state, created competition and good jobs, and helped family incomes rise.”

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