The House Committee on Small Business is sounding the alarm on a new proposed rule change to the Representatives of Employers and Employees regulation, arguing it would give unions more power over small entities, according to a Wednesday letter obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller.
Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business Texas Republican Rep. Roger Williams wrote to Assistant Secretary of Labor Douglas Parker over concern for a proposed rule that would change who can be authorized to be a representative to accompany the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) compliance officers on physical workplace inspections. The rule would not only cost small entities more money, but it would reportedly allow Union reps and community activists unprecedented access to businesses located on private property, the letter, obtained by the Daily Caller, claims. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Roger Williams Slams Biden Small Business Administration For Alleged Violation Of Entrepreneur Privacy)
“Forcing private businesses to open their doors to union representatives and community activists during OSHA safety inspection is completely unacceptable,” Williams said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller.“This rule disregards the privacy of small business owners and creates new ways for unions to coerce membership. The Committee on Small Business will continue our fight against government overreach and work to make life easier for our job creators.”
The proposed rule will expand the definition of the “third parties” that are allowed to attend OSHA inspections, which Williams argues will allow these outside parties to access information that should otherwise not be available to them, according to the letter. This can cause security and privacy concerns, the letter claims.
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) prior to a hearing before House Financial Services Committee February 11, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on “Monetary Policy and the State of the Economy.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Williams worries that the rule would likely “lead to increased pressure on businesses to allow union organizing and put pressure on workers to join unions, while diminishing the privacy of business owners,” the letter says.
The committee is asking the OSHA to explain how it will address privacy concerns that this proposed rule raises and to identify what criteria will be used to judge whether the third party’s participation in the inspection is necessary.
“In practice, this would mean that third parties, such as union representatives and community activists, would gain access to non-organized private businesses on private property—access typically denied to unions,” the letter says. “Consequently, this would likely lead to increased pressure on businesses to allow union organizing and pressure on workers to join unions and pay dues they may not be able to afford, while diminishing the privacy of business owners.”