Capps, Miller blast NLRB delays

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Congresswoman Lois Capps joined Congressman George Miller in urging the National Labor Relations Board to resolve the election certification cases before them in a timely manner, including the case involving the Santa Barbara News-Press and its employees.
In a letter to NLRB Chairman Robert J. Battista, Capps and Miller cited an Inspector General report that shows substantial delay in decisions made by the board, affecting employees seeking union representation.

“Almost a year has passed since the News-Press election,” Capps and Miller wrote. “...Delay in such cases undermines the [National Labor Relations] Act, with a disparate impact on employees particularly in cases where it is found that the election complied with the law and the employees chose union representation.”
The two representatives added that they are not taking a position on the merits of the News-Press case or any other election certification cases before the board, but simply urging their timely resolution.
Ten months ago, the News-Press newsroom voted 33-6 to join the Graphic Communications Conference of the Teamsters Union. The NLRB overruled objections by the News-Press management and certified the election six months later. The News-Press appealed the decision, and the board has yet to act on that appeal.