GOP chairman Kline reflects on retirement

Republicans will start the next Congress without one of their most vocal critics of President Obama’s labor policies.

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), 68, announced his retirement last week, even as Republicans wage war against a number of controversial labor policies.

{mosads}As chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Kline has led the charge to repeal many of those rules that would make it easier for unions to organize. 

“I do feel like I’m kind of leaving in the fight,” Kline told a small group of reporters on Wednesday. But he acknowledged there will always be “another fight.”

“There are always issues,” Kline said. “If I stay until all the issues are solved, I’ll be 98 years old.”

Before Kline retires at the end of 2016, he plans to push back against the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) decision to hold companies responsible for the labor violations of their business partners.

The so-called joint employer ruling has generated much opposition from Republicans. Kline says he will introduce legislation “very soon” to repeal the rule.

Kline says he is also concerned about the Labor Department’s new overtime regulations that will raise pay for millions of low-wage workers.

These two labor policies promise to draw much of Kline’s attention during his remaining time in office.

“Some of these things are so egregious,” Kline said. “We need to do something, because I think they’re doing enormous damage.”

Kline hasn’t had much luck in repealing controversial labor policies during the Obama administration. He led a failed attempt earlier this year to repeal a rule that sped up union elections. 

Many of these controversial labor policies have come from the NLRB.

“The NLRB, by its nature, is always going to have some partisan bent. It’s always that way and it swings back and forth,” Kline said. “But under this administration it has swung so hard in such a very clear big labor agenda.”