They said it and they meant it.
Having failed to intimidate the NLRB into dropping its complaint against Boeing for moving work from Washington state to South Carolina in retaliation for Washington workers exercising their legal rights, House Republicans are moving a bill that would make it impossible for the NLRB to actually do anything about it when companies do break the law:
Introduced less than 48 hours before the committee vote, H.R. 2587 would remove the only meaningful remedy available to workers if a company illegally moves operations or eliminates work because workers engaged in protected activities such as organizing a union. An employer can outsource for any reason, except for an unlawful reason. Retaliating against workers for exercising their rights under the National Labor Relations Act is one unlawful reason.
“These rights to organize and collectively bargain are meaningless if there is no effective remedy when they are violated,” said Miller. “The impact of this change would be wide-ranging.”
If a company wanted to move jobs overseas or subcontract work because their workers exercised their legal rights ... well, it would still be illegal for them to do so. It's just that if they did, the NLRB couldn't make them move the jobs back.
The bill has little chance of getting past the Senate and the president, but it once again shows where Republicans' priorities lie. At a press conference this morning, Nancy Pelosi pointed to this as one of a number of bills House Republicans have pushed that would take jobs rather than creating them:
For 200 days, we have not seen a bill passed, signed into law that creates jobs. In fact, it has been just the reverse.
H.R. 2587, which Pelosi quoted Rep. George Miller calling an "outsourcer's bill of rights," would hardly change that record.
12:55 PM PT: White House statement:
The Administration opposes H.R.2587 because it undermines enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA establishes the legal rights of employers and employees with respect to workplace organizing and collective bargaining. The NLRA does not restrict the location of company operations, provided companies comply with the law. H.R. 2587 would leave employees no meaningful recourse in certain situations where an employer has violated the NLRA.