President Joe Biden made good on a promise to support workers and the labor movement on his first day when he fired National Labor Board General Counsel Pete Robb within 24 hours of taking office.
Robb, a former union buster with a virulently anti-union record, refused Biden’s request to resign on inauguration day. No president had previously fired an NLRB counsel, though one anti-union counsel resigned at the request of President Harry Truman in 1950.
The position of NLRB General Counsel wields significant power in the field of labor power because it is the General Counsel who decides which cases to prosecute while administering how to follow the law when cases are argued.
Robb had spent the past few years advancing numerous employer-friendly arguments and interpretations of the National Labor Relations Act. He made it a priority to allow employers to unilaterally modify contract terms and narrowed the scope in which union stewards and representatives could operate at the worksite. He also helped shape employer-friendly NLRB decisions that resulted in what some call a “slap on the wrist” when employers violate the law.
Related News
- TD to transit agencies: Let’s try “every single thing” to protect our operators
- SMART-TD Union Demands Action in Wake of Los Angeles Bus Hijacking
- Former Alt. VP, GC ‘Pate’ King passes away
- Local 25 members complete Newark Liberty Airport redevelopment project
- Rail workers join House roundtable to demand action on rail safety
- We say: ‘No crew, no engine, NO WAY that’s safe!’
- New report blows the whistle on railroads who cover up injuries and death
- Youngkin vetos Virginia two-person freight crew bill
- REEF Act passes in Senate committee
- SMART-TD provides focused training for bus and transit officers