Dive Brief:
- Now that the Republicans have held onto their majority in the House and Senate, the GOP could press for national right-to-work legislation and undo some of the Obama administration’s successful pro-labor strides, Bloomberg BNA reports
- Right-to-work bans “union security” provisions in collective bargaining contracts and allows workers to forego paying union dues if they are not in it. Currently, 26 states have right-to-work laws on the books. Alabama and South Dakota just passed ballot initiatives with right-to-work agendas and Virginia has proposed a right-to-work measure.
- The one drawback for Republicans is their failure to gain a 60-vote majority in the Senate, meaning Democrats could filibuster proposals they object to and keep GOP Senate votes from moving forward.
Dive Insight:
Unions are uneasy with the Trump victory and GOP legislative dominance. They see right-to-work initiatives as further threats from the GOP to weaken their influence in the workplace. Employers will need to monitor right-to-work proposals in their states to stay compliant with the law. Even if right-to-work proposals pass, HR still will have other issues to settle in negotiations with unions, such as wage increases, sharing healthcare costs and work safety concerns.
Trump, with strong backing from his party, could go after the new overtime rule, joint employer liability and any attempts to raise the federal minimum wage. Employers will need to monitor any significant changes affecting the workforce during the transfer of power from the Obama to the Trump administration.