Protecting American Jobs Act

Summary

Makes major changes to how the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) enforces the National Labor Relations Act by narrowing investigatory and remedial powers, limiting the Board’s rulemaking to internal procedures, changing enforcement wording from criminal/penal-style "charges" to civil/advisory language, and requiring the NLRB to review and revise or rescind its preexisting regulations within six months of enactment. The amendments reduce the Board’s ability to issue broad remedies or rules that affect employers, employees, or labor organizations and recast many prosecutorial authorities into investigatory or adjudicatory processes.

• Narrows the NLRB General Counsel and regional attorneys’ prosecutorial language and shifts emphasis toward investigation and adjudication.
• Bars the NLRB from issuing rules that affect substantive or procedural rights of employers, employees, labor organizations, or other persons, limiting rulemaking to internal Board functions.
• Converts former remedial/punitive authorities into more limited investigatory or advisory actions and replaces certain enforcement language with civil/adjudicatory terminology.
• Requires the NLRB to review and, if needed, revise or rescind existing regulations issued before enactment within six months to conform with the new rulemaking limits.
• Reduces the scope of remedies available through the Board process and formalizes written findings as the primary immediate outcome when allegations are found true at the regional level.
• Makes conforming amendments across the NLRA to reflect new wording and cross-references; no new agencies or funding are created.
• Likely shifts some disputes away from broad Board enforcement toward civil litigation or more limited administrative procedures.
• Affects how unfair labor practices and representation matters are processed and how remedies are imposed or withheld.