What This Bill Does
This bill expands the number of labor representatives (people who work in jobs and their union representatives) who can serve on workforce development boards at the state and local levels. The bill also provides a legal definition of what counts as a labor organization.
Who It Affects
State workforce development boards, local workforce development boards, and labor organizations including unions and labor union federations.
Key Provisions
• State workforce development boards must increase labor representation from 20 percent to 30 percent of board members (Sec. 2)
• Local workforce development boards must increase the number of labor representatives from 20 to 30 members (Sec. 3)
• The bill defines labor organization to include union federations and state or municipal labor bodies (Sec. 4)
• The bill's definition of labor organization includes groups representing federal employees, railroad workers, and agricultural workers, even though these workers are normally excluded from standard labor law definitions (Sec. 4)
What Changes
If this becomes law, state and local workforce development boards will have a higher percentage and number of labor representatives making decisions about job training and employment programs in their communities.
Important Definitions
Labor organization means any group of workers organized to represent their interests, including labor unions, union federations (multiple unions joined together), and city or state labor bodies (organizations representing multiple unions in one area).
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 818
To expand labor representation on State and local workforce development
boards, to provide a definition of labor organization, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 2, 2023
Ms. SHERRILL (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mrs. HAYES) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
the Workforce
A BILL
To expand labor representation on State and local workforce
development boards, to provide a definition of labor orga-
nization, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expanding Labor Rep-
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resentation in the Workforce System Act’’.
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SEC. 2. STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS.
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Section 101(b)(1)(C)(ii) of the Workforce Innovation
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and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111(b)(1)(C)(ii)) is
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•HR 818 IH
amended by striking ‘‘20 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘30 per-
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cent’’.
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SEC. 3. LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS.
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Section 107(b)(2)(B) of the Workforce Innovation
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and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3122(b)(2)(B)) is amend-
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ed by striking ‘‘20’’ and inserting ‘‘30’’.
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SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF LABOR ORGANIZATION.
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Section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
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tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102) is amended by adding at the
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end the following:
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‘‘(72) LABOR ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘labor
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organization’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
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tion 2(5) of the National Labor Relations Act (29
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U.S.C. 152(5)), except that such term shall also in-
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clude—
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‘‘(A) any organization composed of labor
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organizations, such as a labor union federation
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or a State or municipal labor body; and
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‘‘(B) any organization which would be in-
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cluded in the definition for such term under
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such section 2(5) but for the fact that the orga-
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nization represents—
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‘‘(i) individuals employed by the
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United States, any wholly owned Govern-
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ment corporation, any Federal Reserve
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•HR 818 IH
Bank, or any State or political subdivision
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thereof;
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‘‘(ii) individuals employed by persons
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subject to the Railway Labor Act (45
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U.S.C. 151 et seq.); or
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‘‘(iii) individuals employed as agricul-
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tural laborers.’’.
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Æ
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