[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2499 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2499

 To amend the National Labor Relations Act to permit the establishment 
of labor-management organizations to carry out certain activities with 
   respect to labor and management relations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            October 4 (legislative day, September 12), 1994

   Mr. Pell introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National Labor Relations Act to permit the establishment 
of labor-management organizations to carry out certain activities with 
   respect to labor and management relations, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Worker-Management Relations for the 
21st Century Act of 1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) ever increasing foreign competition, rapidly changing 
        technology, and shifting consumer demand are radically 
        transforming the way American businesses compete in global 
        markets;
            (2) old style mass production and centralized management 
        are increasingly being replaced by individual and flexible 
        methods of doing business;
            (3) the new business environment places more demands on the 
        talents, ingenuity, and dedication of American workers;
            (4) today, the best managed organizations give real 
        responsibility to production line employees, give workers a 
        real stake in the success of the organization, make training 
        and education a high priority, and offer a safe and stable work 
        environment;
            (5) past joint employee-management efforts have been 
        rewarding for both employees and employers; and
            (6) current labor relations laws make employee-employer 
        cooperation difficult.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    It is the purpose of this Act to--
            (1) preserve existing labor protections in current labor 
        relations laws;
            (2) provide an avenue for workers and management to join 
        together to create a more productive work environment; and
            (3) offer an alternative to employees and employers who 
        wish to join together to discuss various issues of concern and 
        interest.

SEC. 4. LABOR-MANAGEMENT WORKPLACE COMMITTEES.

    (a) In General.--Section 8(a)(2) of the National Labor Relations 
Act (29 U.S.C. 158(a)(2)) is amended by inserting before the semicolon 
at the end thereof the following: ``Provided further, That it shall not 
constitute or be evidence of an unfair labor practice under this 
paragraph for an employer and the employees of such employer, or the 
labor organizations representing the employees of such employer, to 
jointly establish a committee, in which such employer and such 
employees participate to discuss matters of interest and concern 
(including but not limited to issues of quality, productivity, improved 
labor-management relations, job security, organizational efficiency and 
enhanced economic development);''.
    (b) Composition.--Section 8(a) of the National Labor Relations Act 
(29 U.S.C. 158(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
flush sentence:
``A committee described in paragraph (2) shall be composed of an equal 
number of employees (who shall be selected by the employees through an 
election by popular vote) and management officials. An employer or an 
employee of such employer may propose the establishment of a committee 
described in paragraph (2), but such committee may only be established 
upon the agreement of both the employer and a majority of employees. 
Such committee shall be subject to an agenda and rules approved by the 
committee upon establishment, and all decisions of the committee shall 
become final only upon a vote of the majority of the members of the 
committee.''.
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