All Kiddin' Aside…

I've been makin' fun of Target but there are a couple of things that should be noted in their defense. First, Wal-Mart actually started the no-solicitation rule. Second, there's a good reason (I guess) for their rules. According to this letter sent to NRO's The Corner from a lawyer, you can thank your friendly neighborhood labor union.

"…union organizing is the actual reason Wal-Mart and others are eliminating solicitations. The National Labor Relations Board has repeatedly held that if an employer allows an undefined amount of charitable solicitation on the premises, the employer cannot prohibit unions from coming on the property to solicit employees to join the union or sign a card calling for a union election.

"To make matters worse, the rule has no bright line -- no employer knows with any degree of comfort how much charitable solicitation is too much. If an employer unwittingly crosses the gray area, and then refuses to allow a union to come onto the property, the union can file an unfair labor practice charge alleging the employer discriminated against union organizing in violation of federal law. Wal-Mart, Target, and the rest are likely recognizing this risk.

"If you would like to see the application of this rule taken to its absurd extreme, review the opinion letter of the NLRB General Counsel issued shortly after 9/11 as it relates to charitable solicitations arising from that event."

Unions--they jumped the shark a loooong time ago.

posted by Harrison at 10:18 PM