Congressman Rick Allen Introduces Legislation to End Union ‘Salting’

Bill targets paid union agents who seek employment to deceive workers and sow division

Washington, D.C. (June 26, 2023) – Last Friday, Congressman Rick Allen (GA-12) introduced the Truth in Employment Act, a bill that would combat the practice of union “salting.”

“Salts” are union agents who take jobs at companies whose employees aren’t interested in unionization, but who are nevertheless being targeted by dues-hungry union bosses. They disrupt the workplace, stoke divisions between workers and management, and drum up so-called “unfair labor practice” charges designed to tie up businesses in costly litigation.

Some salts pose as regular employees, pressure their “peers” to unionize, and then leave as soon as the union is installed. Others will announce their union affiliation before they are hired, and file litigation against employers who refuse to hire them. If they do get hired, they act as intentionally poor and disruptive employees, and file charges when inevitably they are fired.

In either case, employers are subject to litigation, which, along with public relations pressure, forms the basis of a union “corporate campaign” designed to force employers to hand their workers over to union bosses without a secret ballot vote. In non-Right to Work states, this means workers will be forced to pay dues to union bosses they never had the chance to vote for.

Rick Allen’s Truth in Employment Act amends the National Labor Relations Act to clarify that union agents cannot file unfair labor practice charges when they are fired by the businesses they are targeting.

Congressman Allen issued the following statement in support of his bill:

“Big labor and union bosses will stop at nothing to coerce more American workers into unionization, even if it means targeting small businesses in need of new employees. The deceptive practice called ‘salting’ is becoming more common across the country and is nothing more than a desperate attempt to strong arm non-union employers into unionizing their workforce without a vote—or forcing them to shut their doors.

“The Truth in Employment Act is necessary to ensure employers are not required to hire an employee who enters the hiring process for the purpose of unionizing a workplace or to put the nonunion company out of business. Access to a reliable workforce is often the number one issue facing employers, and this legislation is an important step to make certain job creators are free to use their valuable time and resources to hire workers who actually want to work.”

National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix explained why the Truth in Employment Act is necessary to protect workers from union harassment:

“Because the vast majority of Americans have little or no interest in unionization, union bosses are increasingly turning to unionization tactics that don’t rely on worker support. They hope that by sending in “salts” to bring chaos and litigation, employers will capitulate and turn their workers over to union bosses they never voted for.

“The National Labor Relations Board often sides with union agents in these matters, ruling against employers who did nothing more than fire paid agitators from an outside organization. Congressman Allen’s Truth in Employment Act blocks this union legal tactic by making it absolutely clear that employers are well within their rights to refuse to hire union salts.

“Congress should pass the Truth in Employment Act to protect workers from being deceived and harassed at work by agents of a union that only wants to take dues money out of their paychecks.”

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The National Right to Work Committee, established in 1955, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens’ organization dedicated to the principle that all Americans must have the right to join a union if they choose to, but none should ever be forced to affiliate with a union in order to get or keep a job.  Its web address is www.nrtwc.org.