Illegally Ousted NLRB Chair Returns…For Now

CWA members took to the streets last week in a show of support for illegally ousted National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Chair Gwynne Wilcox. They, along with union and non-union allies, stood outside the hearing where Wilcox argued against her termination. A federal judge reinstated her, calling the dismissal "unlawful and void."

By illegally firing Wilcox, President Donald Trump made it harder for us to enforce our contracts by leaving the NLRB with only two board members, preventing it from ruling in most cases. NLRB board members cannot be removed except in cases where “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office” has been proven, a legal threshold the administration failed to meet.

President Trump is appealing the decision as he continues his attack on union contracts. Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of a collective bargaining agreement covering 45,000 frontline TSA workers who are represented by AFGE. Click here to read CWA’s response to this attack, which endangers not only workers but also the flying public.

At the Wilcox rally, Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee highlighted the role the NLRB has played in protecting the rights of CWA members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who are currently on the longest-running strike in the country. Lee said, “The NLRB is the one thing standing in the gap for workers like the Post-Gazette workers. In the midst of the pandemic, when the bosses told them they didn’t care about whether or not they had healthcare...they did the right thing and they walked out of there. We have the right to stand up to anybody who would take that away.”

 
CWA members and staff attended a rally in support of Gwynne Wilcox, the Chair of the National Labor Relations Board. Representative Summer Lee (center) spoke passionately about the role the NLRB has played in protecting workers, including CWA members on strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.