What does Lean have to do with Congress? More than you think!
P2’s own David Levy recently paid a visit to Washington D.C. Here is his story in his own words:
This April I was part of a group from the FBA and AICC that went to Capitol Hill to talk about issues facing manufacturing in the US. I had the opportunity to meet with Senator Lindsey Graham and Congressman Joe Wilson for about 30 minutes each. I also met with the staff of Senator Jim DeMint, Congressmen James Clyburn, and John Spratt. Despite all the hot air coming out of Washington and partisan politics, whether Republican or Democrat, I saw a genuine interest from these Congressmen about issues facing American industry. They listened, asked good questions, and were frank about what they could support. It’s not as bad as I thought; in fact encouraging!
Right now, a major concern of manufacturers is a legislative bill known as the Employee Free Choice Act or “Card Check Bill.” This bill makes it much easier for union organizers to form a union but more difficult for employees to leave a union. The bill allows quick certification of labor unions, yet requires a more thorough process for decertification. It also brings the NLRB into the picture up front to negotiate a contract. Not good. Our purpose is to gain support in Washington to defeat this proposed legislation.
While this bill deals with ease of forming a labor union and restrictive bargaining, it really is about flexibility of the workforce. While there is no rule that says unionized plants do not have the worker flexibility to implement Lean manufacturing techniques, it generally is the case. Lean Manufacturing eliminates waste in the manufacturing process and requires a flexible and empowered workforce. The result is a lower cost to manufacture, critical in today’s economic environment. We do not need more structured job classifications, restrictive work rules, and wasteful collective bargaining. Just ask Detroit if you need a more convincing argument.
To read more about Dave’s visit to DC, download the latest Board Converting News article here.
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