With the confirmation vote looming, the AFL-CIO formally opposed GOP President Donald Trump\u2019s two nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, management-side lawyers Marvin Kaplan of the D.C. area and William Emanuel of Los Angeles.\u00a0 It says the two appear not to even believe in the board\u2019s mission.
\nBut the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was expected to brush the fed\u2019s objections aside and approve the two by party-line votes on July 19.
\nIf confirmed by the full Senate \u2013 and its Democrats can\u2019t filibuster their nominations any more \u2013 Kaplan, a former right-wing GOP congressional aide, and Emanuel, whose current firm engages in union-busting, would give the board a 3-2 Republican majority. That would set up potential reversals of many pro-worker Obama era NLRB rulings.
\n\u201cWithout a private right of action, working people must depend on the NLRB to enforce their rights. The NLRB\u2019s decisions and actions have a significant impact on the lives of working Americans,\u201d AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel told senators.
\n\u201cBy tradition, presidents appoint a majority of members to the NLRB from their own political party, and in keeping with that tradition, President Trump\u201d appointed Kaplan and Emanuel. \u201cUnfortunately, after reviewing their records and statements at their confirmation hearing, the AFL-CIO concluded we must oppose these nominees and urge the Senate to reject these nominations.
\n\u201cNotwithstanding the clear purpose and mission of the agency to which they have been nominated \u2013 to protect and encourage the practice of collective bargaining — nothing in the background or statements of either nominee provides any assurance that either Kaplan or Emanuel would be guided and motivated by this basic mission,\u201d Samuel explained.
\nHe cited Emanuel\u2019s statement at the panel\u2019s July 12 confirmation hearing that he\u2019s never represented a worker or a union. And \u201cKaplan has never practiced labor law,\u201d Samuel said. \u201cHis sole experience with labor law is on a policy level, drafting legislation to weaken worker protections under the National Labor Relations Act and holding hearings to criticize the NLRB during the Obama administration.
\n\u201cNeither man said anything at the confirmation hearing to give working people any confidence that they would vigorously enforce the NLRA consistent with the law\u2019s purpose of protecting workers\u2019 right to organize and promoting collective bargaining,\u201d Samuel said.
\nBoth men have participated in \u201crelentless attacks\u201d by lawmakers and business on the agency and battled to overturn its key rules, and didn\u2019t disavow those attacks at the hearing, Samuel noted. And nothing they said \u201csuggests they would bring a less hostile, and more pro-NLRA view to their work, should they be confirmed.\u201d\u00a0 Both nominees also refused to abstain on cases \u2013 such those pitting arbitration against labor law \u2013 where their writings and views showed they prejudged the issues involved, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the confirmation vote looming, the AFL-CIO formally opposed GOP President Donald Trump\u2019s two nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, management-side lawyers Marvin Kaplan of the D.C. area and William Emanuel of Los Angeles.\u00a0 It says the two appear not to even believe in the board\u2019s mission. But the Senate Health, Education, Labor and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":9,"featured_media":41436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"member_types":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n