Eight years under the Obama administration was a boon for Big Labor and its anti-worker agenda. The union bosses who pumped millions of dollars into President Obama’s campaigns were rewarded with nominations to various posts at the supposedly independent National Labor Relations Board, allowing them to create a series of job-killing regulations that advanced their own agenda to the detriment of employees and employers.
Fortunately, the Trump administration and this Congress have taken steps to put an end to their predecessors’ irresponsible practices. The president has nominated and the Senate has confirmed serious and experienced professionals so the NLRB can finally carry out its intended purpose, starting with “safeguard(ing) employees’ rights.” The process culminated with Peter Robb’s recent confirmation to serve as the agency’s general counsel, which came on the heels of William Emanuel and Marvin Kaplan joining the five-member board.
With these new voices at the agency, there is hope the NLRB will adhere to decades of precedence in its application of the law as opposed to concocting rules and regulations to reward special interests.
To start, Emanuel has years of experience practicing labor law at well-respected firms across the country and served as chairman of the Labor Relations Advisory Committee and Employers Group Legal Committee.
Prior to joining the board, Kaplan served as chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and counsel for multiple committees in Congress.
Both of these gentlemen have consistently demonstrated a dedication to the rule of law, as well as upholding the rights of employees and employers when threatened.
And under General Counsel Robb, the law will once again be the standard, stating upon being sworn-in that he had “always believed in the core values expressed in the National Labor Relations Act.”
This will be a dramatic improvement from the NLRB under Richard Griffin, the Obama-era general counsel, who can only be described as labor’s biggest shill who even acknowledged that his “sole reason” for pursuing a complaint against McDonald’s was that it was filed by a union-funded group.
In contrast, Robb is an experienced attorney having practiced in labor and employment law, including as staff attorney and counsel at the NLRB.
American workers are ready to take our nation’s economy to the next level. Under Obama they were burdened by regulations advancing the political agenda of labor bosses, such as the ambush elections rule, micro-union decision and new joint employer standard. To allow our employees and employers to thrive, these new NLRB members both on the board side and in the general counsel’s office, must re-examine these flawed approaches at once.
It’s time to pursue an agenda that benefits workers so the American people can have confidence their government is working in their own best interests. And the NLRB has a very important role to play in getting us back on track.
