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Labor Unions Continue to Decline Despite Attempts at Intervention from the Whitehouse

UnionThe Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on union membership last week and the news was somewhat bleak for pro-union forces. Though the economy added almost 2.4 million jobs in 2012, union membership dropped by almost 400,000. Now, several recent appointments by President Obama to the National Labor Relations Board have been struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Much of the downturn in union membership can be attributed to the number of states that have right-to-work laws. Michigan is on the threshold of becoming the 24th state with a right-to-work law, which would prohibit requiring workers to join a union or pay fees that are equivalent to union dues as a condition of employment.

States with such laws include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.

A brief overview of the latest report on labor unions from the U.S. Department of Labor reveals:

The recent ruling by the courts concerning the President’s appointments to the National Labor Relations Board is yet another roadblock before what was once an unstoppable force. The ruling came as a result of a brief filed for four workers who are receiving free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys in cases pending before the Board.

Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation, issued the following statement in light of the court’s decision:

“The court’s decision in Noel Canning is a victory for independent-minded workers who have received unjust treatment at the hands of the pro-Big Labor NLRB and will hopefully serve as a persuasive example to other federal courts deciding on the validity of Obama’s purported recess appointments.”