Labor unions are cheering three labor-related executive orders issued by President Barack Obama on Jan. 30, saying they are illustrative of a new pro-labor mind-set in the White House. But employer groups are wary and warn that potential legal action may follow if the President makes good on a promise to issue a fourth order related to project labor agreements, expected as early as the week of Feb. 2.
One order reverses a directive by former President Bush that required employers to post notices informing workers of their rights not to join or support a union; a second order prohibits federal contractors from being reimbursed for any efforts to influence workers’ decisions to join a union or bargain collectively; a third requires federal contractors on service contracts to offer jobs to workers from the previous contract.