Associated Press (01/26/12)

U.S. National Labor Relations Board chairman Mark Pearce is calling for new rules that would give unions help in organizing members, despite complaints from Republicans and business groups who say the board is going too far. Now that the board has a full component of five members—due to three vacancies being filled by President Obama earlier this month—Pearce wants the board to propose the rules soon.

Pearce is pushing to require businesses to hand over lists of employee phone numbers and e-mail addresses to union leaders before an election, and also wants the board to consider other rule changes such as the use of electronic filings and quicker timetables for certain procedures. Business groups say the latest push confirms their fears that the new board will approve even more rules that make it easier for unions to organize new members. “If they’re going to go forward on that basis, I think that removes any pretense at all that they are not in the back pocket of the union movement,” says Randel Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vice president on labor issues.