Employee Committees Win House Endorsement

Some 250 businesses and associations in favor of the creation of "employee-management committees" have advanced their cause a step with a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives favorably reporting a bill that would amend the National Labor Relations Act to allow the committees.

Under current law, it is illegal for an employer to form committees to discuss conditions of employment unless workers are represented by a union. The act restricts such committees from discussing wages, health and safety, scheduling, overtime, training and other issues.

An amendment to the bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-WI) would prohibit companies with unions from bypassing labor groups and dealing directly with employees.

At the heart of an ongoing debate over the committees, or teams, is whether they bring workers into the decision-making process, or undermine attempts to form legitimate unions.

Organized labor is against the measure.

"We have argued in favor of continuing the prohibition that forbids employers from creating these organization," said David Silberman, director of the AFL-CIO Task Force on Labor Law. "If an employer chooses the committee or team representatives you can't have an open exchange."

The bill was reported by the House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee.

In 1992, Polaroid Corp. formed a worker committee called the Employee-Owners' Influence Council, which advised Chief Executive and President MacAllister Booth on various workplace issues. Although the company has argued that the group is simply an advisory committee, the NLRB disagreed.

In a complaint issued last year, the board found that Polaroid's council was a labor organization dominated by the employer. A National Labor Relations Board hearing on those matters began last week. The hearing stems from allegations brought by Charla Scivally, who alleged that the council was created to discourage workers from creating a union.

Polaroid attorney Ann Liebowitz declined comment Thursday. However, Booth has said publicly that employee committees such as Polaroid's encourage employees to participate in policy-making.

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