Changes Won't Come Soon For NLRB

Compiled ByMichael A. Verespej Even with a Republican administration, it may be awhile before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) loses its current pro-labor bent. The reason? While President George W. Bush has the opportunity to appoint a majority of the five-person board as well as its general counsel, that process -- which requires confirmation from Congress -- will take months. And in the meantime, the board must decide several crucial issues that affect the manufacturing community, says Stephen J. Cabot, chairman of the labor relations and employment law department of Harvey, Pennington, Cabot, Griffith & Renneisen Ltd., Philadelphia. Among the issues: worker access to an employer's computer and e-mail systems during an organizing campaign; the right of nonunion workers to representation during disciplinary hearings; the unilateral withdrawal by a manufacturer of union recognition; and whether manufacturers are required to bargain with unions when there has been no representation election.