President Trump has effectively shut down the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The NLRB—usually led by five board members—holds union elections, investigates allegations, and resolves cases of wrongdoing brought by workers, unions or employers.
The president illegally fired a member of the labor board, Gwynne Wilcox—the first Black woman to serve on the NLRB. There are now only two sitting members of the board, which leaves it one member short of the minimum number needed for any decision-making. And by firing Wilcox, because he didn’t like her decisions, he destroyed the board’s independence.
Thousands of union members and supporters called their representatives urging them to reinstate Gwynne Wilcox and re-open the NLRB.
Wilcox is filing a lawsuit to challenge her firing, and we fully expect she will succeed in the courts and be restored to her position so she can continue to be a critical pro-worker voice on the NLRB.
But until Wilcox is reinstated, when a worker is fired for trying to organize a union or an employer refuses to bargain with a union, all an employer would have to do is appeal—which would leave the worker in limbo indefinitely. And until she’s reinstated, the board is on notice: rule how the president wants or be fired.
Unions ensure fairness and accountability in our country and in our government—for federal workers and all working people—and they must not be undermined.
- Unions are vital in ensuring workers receive fair wages, work in safe conditions, and are treated with dignity and respect.
- Federal workers’ unions hold the government accountable and fight for policies that protect not only their own members, but also all working people.
- Attacks on unions are attacks on the very protections that guarantee a fair and productive workforce that delivers for the American people.
- Union contracts are enforceable by law, and the president does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to those agreements.
- Collective bargaining has always been and remains the best tool to ensure equal access to opportunity for all workers. We will continue to fight for everyone’s right to join a union and a fair economy that works for all of us.
