A U.S. House budget bill to cut federal spending by more than $60 billion would hobble the government’s ability to bring labor law violators to justice and further tie up several pending cases affecting hundreds of Guild members.

Although the Guild does not often take positions on legislative matters, we are doing so now because the bill, as currently written, will directly harm Guild members at Thomson Reuters and could potentially harm all other members. We urge you to tell your senators that you oppose the cuts in labor law enforcement.

The bill would cut funding for the National Labor Relations Board by $50 million, nearly one-fifth of its total budget, for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. NLRB Chairman Wilma Liebman has said the cut would force the agency to furlough all staff members for 55 days, or 11 weeks. This would cripple the agency.

For more than a year, the NLRB, not known for its speedy work, has been investigating violations at Thomson Reuters. During that time, TR management unlawfully declared an impasse in bargaining and imposed work rules that are costing more than 400 Guild members more than $2 million a year in lost pay and benefits. The longer the NLRB takes to complete its work, the longer TR members will be unjustly disadvantaged.

But any Guild member could be in the same position someday. The NLRB’s job is to protect employees who want to get together to better themselves and to see that employers bargain in good faith with the unions workers have chosen. It may not be the most vigorous enforcer of our labor laws, but it’s the only one we’ve got. To weaken it would be to invite more abuses and violations by employers.

We think it’s in every Guild member’s interest to fight the weakening of our labor rights protection. The House bill now goes to the Senate, which will draft its own budget bill. To become law, the two bills must be reconciled and signed by the president.

Tell your senators that you oppose any cuts to the NLRB’s budget. The Senate returns from recess on Feb. 28. Below is a sample message, which you can alter any way you like. Find your senator here, click on the senator’s “web form” and cut/paste your note into the senator’s message box:

Don’t Cut Funding for the NLRB

Senator _______________,

I depend on the National Labor Relations Board to protect my rights as a working person. As a union member, I depend on the NLRB to uphold the laws that give me an equal footing with my employer.

The budget bill passed by the House on Feb. 19 has cut the NLRB’s budget by $50 million, which would greatly hamper its ability to do its job.

When the Senate takes up the bill, I urge you to do all that is within your power to protect the full funding (about $288 million) of the NLRB for the current fiscal year and to keep it strong enough to carry out its mission in future years as well.

Sincerely,

Since the House will eventually have to vote on budget bill once it’s been reconciled with a Senate version, you might also want to share your feelings with your member of Congress or with President Obama, who must sign the bill if it is to become law. How did your member of Congress vote on the bill on Feb. 19? Click here to find out.