In her unceasing quest to cultivate further unionization across the business spectrum, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo announced her latest efforts last week on Twitter. Abruzzo, who formerly worked for SEIU, advised the Board in a brief filed in a pending case (Cemex Construction Materials v International Brotherhood of Teamsters) that she would like the NLRB to reverse a 50+-year-old policy and reinstate the so-called Joy Silk doctrine. That doctrine, established in a 1949 decision (Joy Sil Mills v United Textile Workers of America) and abandoned by the NLRB back in 1969, required an employer to recognize – and bargain with – a union if it was presented with authorization cards from a majority of workers even in the absence of any kind of formal election. Under Joy Silk, the burden of proof was on the employer to demonstrate a “good faith doubt” of a union’s majority status and failing that, the NLRB would order the employer to recognize and bargain with the union without a secret ballot election! As justification for reverting back to policies abandoned over a half-century ago, Abruzzo claims that once Joy Silk was abandoned, unfair labor practices increased dramatically and current labor law has failed to deter employers from interfering with union representation elections.