Anti-Union National Labor Relations Board Coming?

What’s The Story?

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which bills itself as an "independent federal agency that protects the rights of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union," has primarily been run by pro-union supporters who more often than not identify with the Democratic Party. However, on Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Marvin Kaplan, who President Trump picked, to fill one of the vacant board positions at the NLRB despite opposition from the Democrats.

Kaplan, who previously served as a GOP staffer on Capitol Hill, has worked on measures to, as The Hill reports, "strip workers of their right to organize and join unions in their workplace."

Kaplan’s confirmation was a 50-48, party-line vote.

Why Does It Matter?

As Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said during Kaplan’s confirmation, "After eight months, the Republicans are about to go on vacation, but not before they jam the NLRB with a new anti-worker nominee." She continued, “The biggest problem in Washington is that this place works great for giant employers and for giant corporations with armies of lawyers and lobbyists, but workers and their families just get ignored.” If Trump’s other nominee, William Emanuel, is also confirmed, it will tilt the NLRB balance towards Republicans.

Business groups have embraced Trump’s nominations: Cicely Simpson, an executive VP at the National Restaurant Association, released a statement saying, "Marvin Kaplan and William Emanuel will restore balance and fairness to the [NLRB.] The Board is currently reviewing extremely important issues, including joint employment liability, that impact restaurants and other small businesses, and we urge swift confirmation of these qualified nominees."

What Can You Do?

Are you a union supporter or union buster? Emmanuel’s nomination is still up in the air: hit the Take Action and tell your reps how they should vote.

--Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: Public Domain)