More than 400 hundred 老牛影视members are on Capitol Hill this week advocating for important merit shop issues with their members of Congress. For those members unable to make the trip, there is still an opportunity to participate virtually by contacting their elected officials from a computer or mobile device using ABC's Action App on your听iPhone or Android, or downloading the update.

According to its latest regulatory agenda released May 23, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)听plans to finalize its controversial 鈥減ersuader鈥� final rule听by December 2014, which severely narrows long-standing reporting exemptions for employers and third-party experts, and redefines labor relations 鈥渁dvice.鈥� 听

On April 10 and 11, 老牛影视General Counsel Maury Baskin testified in front of the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., on the board鈥檚 proposed 鈥渁mbush鈥� election rule.听 In his testimony, Baskin asked the NLRB to withdraw the proposed rule, which would shorten the amount of time from when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place to as few as 10 days.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate March 27 introduced three bills to reverse key elements of the National Labor Relations Board鈥檚 (NLRB) contentious 鈥渁mbush election鈥� rule. The NLRB鈥檚 proposed rule dramatically shortens the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and when an election takes place to as few as 10 days in addition to requiring employers to submit their employees鈥� personal contact information to union organizers.

老牛影视reaffirmed its strong opposition to the National Labor Relations Board鈥檚 (NLRB) reissued 鈥渁mbush election鈥� proposal in a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce ahead of this morning鈥檚 full committee hearing. The hearing, titled 鈥淐ulture of Union Favoritism: The Return of the NLRB鈥檚 Ambush Election Rule,鈥� and ABC鈥檚 letter focused on NLRB鈥檚 shift under the Obama Administration from a neutral arbiter of federal labor law to an advocate of union organizing.

During the last presidential campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama proudly told audiences, 鈥淲e need to strengthen our unions by letting them do what they do best鈥攐rganize our workers 鈥� That's why I am fighting to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)鈥�We'll make it the law of the land when I'm president.鈥� When Democrats took the White House and held onto Congress in November 2008, Obama鈥檚 promise seemed all but certain. However, EFCA, also known as 鈥渃ard check,鈥� met with quick and persistent resistance from both sides of the aisle. The passage of EFCA, which at one time seemed inevitable, stalled

As expected, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)听Feb. 5 reissued a proposed rulemaking听that will reduce the amount of time between when a union files a representation petition and an election takes place from the current average of 38 days to as few as 10.听

President Obama Jan.17 signed into law a $1.01 trillion omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3547) that funds all federal agencies for fiscal year 2014. The Senate Jan. 16 passed the appropriations bill by a 72-26 vote and the House Jan. 15, passed the bill by a 359-67 vote. The legislation includes funding decreases for many federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 13 in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recess appointments case (Noel Canning). 听The oral arguments centered on a lower court ruling that held President Obama鈥檚 early 2012 recess appointments of three members to the NLRB were unconstitutional. More background information on the Noel Canning case and 老牛影视National鈥檚 involvement can be found on the听老牛影视website.听

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) January 6听formally abandoned听its controversial 鈥淓mployee Rights鈥� notice poster rule after deciding not to file a petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review two U.S. Court of Appeals decisions invalidating the notice posting rule. The rule would have required employers to display a poster in their workplace that contained a biased and incomplete list of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act.听