Employee Empowerment Act

Employee Empowerment Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to authorize a person alleging an unfair labor practice by an employer by discrimination regarding hiring or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization, in addition to filing a charge alleging an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board, to bring a civil action against such employer in U.S. district court.

Authorizes the court to grant relief (including injunctive and equitable relief, back pay, and compensatory and punitive damages) and allow the prevailing party a reasonable attorney's fee (including expert witness fees) as part of the costs.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5280 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5280

  To strengthen the current protections available under the National 
Labor Relations Act by providing a private right of action for certain 
            violations of such Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2014

 Mr. Ellison (for himself, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Nadler, Mr. George Miller of 
 California, Ms. Hahn, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Sires, Mr. 
 Conyers, Ms. Norton, Ms. Fudge, Ms. Bass, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
Takano, Mr. Holt, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Jackson Lee, and Mr. Ryan of Ohio) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To strengthen the current protections available under the National 
Labor Relations Act by providing a private right of action for certain 
            violations of such Act, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Employee Empowerment Act''.

SEC. 2. PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION UNDER THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT.

    Section 10 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 160) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(n) In addition to filing a charge alleging an unfair labor 
practice with the Board in accordance with this Act, a person alleging 
an unfair labor practice by an employer in violation of section 8(a)(3) 
may, not later than 180 days after the date of such violation, bring a 
civil action in the appropriate district court of the United States 
against the employer for such violation. The court may grant any relief 
described in section 706(g) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
2000e-5) or section 1977A(b) of the Revised Statutes of the United 
States (42 U.S.C. 1981a(b)), and may allow the prevailing party a 
reasonable attorney's fee (including expert witness fees) as part of 
the costs.''.
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