Target: NLRB

The headline atop this story from Think Progress tells it all: “In New Budget Bill, House Republicans Continue Their War on Workers.”

It has been a busy year for Republican attacks on workers’ rights. Last spring, Republicans in Wisconsin and Ohio passed sweeping measures eliminating public sector unions, despite massive protests. More recently, Republicans have been attacking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for enforcing measures that protect workers against corporate retribution.

On Thursday, House Republicans, led by House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), released their draft 2012 budget for labor, health, and education programs. In it, they proposed cutting funding for the NLRB by $49 million--a full 17 percent of the agency’s budget — and blocking regulations designed to make it easier for workers to exercise their collective bargaining rights. …

The proposed cuts would likely be devastating. Similar cuts proposed in February would have forced the NLRB to furlough all employees for 55 days, leading to a major backlog in cases. In addition to the cuts, the Republicans’ draft budget includes several provisions that would make it more difficult for workers to join a union by blocking important NLRB regulations.

Republican’ts seem determined to turn the country over to corporate control, simultaneously undermining the strength of the middle class. The question is, in 20 years will we be living in the renamed “WalMart United States” or the “ExxonMobil United States”?

READ MORE: “Breaking Their Promise to Focus on Job Creation, House GOP Proposes Slashing Job-Training Programs,” by Marie Diamond (Think Progress).