Printing Industries of New England

5 Crystal Pond Road, Southborough, MA 01772-1758
508-804-4100 508-804-4119 (fax)

The largest trade association to serve commercial printing and graphic communications companies in five New England states.

Issue
Should Congress pass the TEAM Act to permit employee involvement programs in non-union companies?

Status
Under the National Labor Relations Act, committee or “team” discussions between management and workers in non-union workplaces involving “terms and conditions of employment” are considered to be unlawful company-dominated (sham) unions. However, in today’s work place, many such teams are discussing safety, interdepartmental relations, productivity, or better operating procedures.

Congress has not looked at the TEAM Act in several years due to the fact that we could not overcome the 60-vote margin needed in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. It is highly unlikely that TEAM legislation will be considered as long as the Democrats control the Senate. However, we’ll have to count votes to see if we're close to 60 if the Republicans take over in 2003.

Concerns
Many printing companies are non-union operations and are subject to the limitations of the NLRA employee involvement provisions. Relief from this law would enable companies to effectively use their employees to improve job satisfaction, productivity, and customer service. The Teamwork for Employees and Management Act (TEAM Act) would remove restrictions on the ability of employers and employees to resolve workplace problems through team-based “employee involvement” structures. This would allow more employee involvement, resulting in more effective and meaningful communication between managers and employees of non-union firms.

Printers know that employees want to do a good job, but they are not mind readers. If employees and managers cannot work together to build a sense of cooperation and trust, the company cannot optimize its resources to bring benefits to the company, employees, and customers.

Employees are not oblivious to what is happening in a company. They know if a team is a “sham” union or not. Under the TEAM Act, employees will continue to have the option of organizing if they choose regardless of whether the company uses employee involvement structures.

Position
PIA supports legislation that would legalize employee involvement teams.