National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons issued a statement in response to the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) final rule that manipulates well-established labor policy related to union elections. The rule is set to take effect on April 30, 2012:

“The ambush election rule is a guaranteed pathway to creating a fractured American workplace. Manufacturers strongly oppose this misguided rule. It is critical that employers have proper time to prepare for an upcoming union election and that workers have the needed time to get all the facts essential to making such an important decision.

This is a prime example of how the current Board's aggressive agenda seeks to significantly change longstanding and agreed-upon labor policy. It will block manufacturers from communicating with their employees, alter what can and cannot be heard at a pre-election hearing and what can be appealed after a pre-election hearing, and shorten the time frame for elections. These developments certainly are not in the best interest of workers and raise serious questions as for whom the Board is truly advocating. The NAM will explore every possible action to put a stop to the ambush election rule and protect manufacturers from the NLRB's activist agenda.”