[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 27, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H9511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN SUPPORT OF THE TEAM ACT

  (Mr. TALENT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TALENT. Mr. Speaker, there has been an outstanding practice going 
on in American workplaces and it is picking up speed. It has been going 
on for the last 10 or 15 years. It is called employee involvement or 
TEAMS.
  People know this kind of practice as quality circles or safety 
committees. They can be relatively formal or informal. Here's an 
example: Employees have a problem with scheduling, and the employer, 
instead of deciding these things unilaterally says to his supervisors, 
``Get together with some of the employees and figure out what you are 
going to do.''
  This TEAM concept has increased employee satisfaction and American 
productivity and competitiveness around the world. But unfortunately it 
is probably illegal under the National Labor Relations Act, because the 
NLRB thinks of TEAMS as company unions, according to a 60-year-old 
statute.
  Mr. Speaker, we are going to have a chance to do something about that 
today with the TEAM Act. That is an act that will legalize the kind of 
employee involvement that is already going on in tens of thousands of 
workplaces around the country today. It is something that employees 
want. It will empower them and improve employee satisfaction and 
American competitiveness.
  The bill specifically says company unions are still illegal. It does 
not apply in organized workplaces. The House ought to pass it today.

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