[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 27, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H9509-H9510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TEAM ACT DOES NOT APPLY WHERE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ALREADY EXISTS

  (Mr. PETRI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, as we enter the debate over the application 
of the TEAM Act to American workplaces, let's be clear at the outset on 
one important point.
  This bill has no application to companies which currently operate 
under a collective-bargaining agreement with an organized group of 
employees.
  Opponents of the TEAM Act claim that the bill would let employers 
undermine established unions by creating workplace committees or sham 
company unions to take their place. This claim is false. The bill does 
not address work relationships in union settings.
  It only affects employer/employee relations in nonunion settings. The 
bill would leave untouched restrictions prohibiting employers in 
unionized settings from dealing directly with employees.
  To establish an employee involvement program in a unionized company, 
the management would still have to work directly through the unions or 
else be guilty of an unfair labor practice.
  The language of the TEAM Act makes it clear that employee teams 

[[Page H 9510]]
  are legal only if they do not assume the rule of a labor union.
  The TEAM Act thus clearly preserves union veto power over employee 
involvement.
  Please support the TEAM Act when it comes to the floor today.

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