Bill > S217

This bill, the Secret Ballot Protection Act of 2011, amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to recognize or bargain with a labor organization that hasn't been chosen by a majority of employees through a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and also makes it an unfair labor practice for a labor organization to try to force an employer to recognize or bargain with a representative not chosen in such an election. The bill emphasizes that the right to choose representation through a secret ballot election is a crucial protection for employees, ensuring their choice is free from coercion, and that recognition through private agreements instead of NLRB-supervised elections undermines this freedom. Importantly, these new requirements do not apply to existing collective bargaining relationships that were lawfully recognized before the bill's enactment. The NLRB is also required to update its regulations to implement these changes, and the bill clarifies that it does not limit the NLRB's existing remedial authority.