David Obey: “I know that there is a drive here to provide a great deal of de-regulation in order to provide much more freedom in this…”

“I know that there is a drive here to provide a great deal of de-regulation in order to provide much more freedom in this society. That may very well be legitimate, but I think we ought to ask who is going to be free, what will they be free to do, and who will they do it to? I want to give my colleagues some examples of who they will do it to. Take Jack Gray Transport, Inc. Truck drivers who worked in their facility in North Carolina began an organizing campaign in January of 1994, and they signed cards trying to recognize the union. In response their employer coercively interrogated those employees about their union activity, they threatened them with a loss of jobs if they did not sign a letter disavowing support for the union, and finally they laid off eight members of the organizing committee. Based on the facts, the district court used the injunctive relief at NLRB which is now available to prevent further action by that company, and they helped save those workers' jobs. That injunctive authority would be eliminated by this bill.”