Defend the National Labor Relations Board – Confirm Gwynne Wilcox Now!
Petition to the Senate:
We urge you to immediately reconfirm Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Workers across the United States need a functional NLRB in order to freely practice their right to organize.
Writers and actors are on strike, UPS workers just won a huge new contract, and the United Auto Workers have authorized a strike. It’s a hot labor summer – and Mitch McConnell is pissed.1
The recent surge in labor organizing has been enabled by President Biden’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has issued a series of rulings protecting workers’ right to organize, and taking employers to task for illegal union busting.2
That’s why Mitch McConnell is trying to block the reconfirmation of Biden nominee Gwynne Wilcox to the NLRB. Without a fully functional NLRB, it will be much easier for big corporations like Amazon and Starbucks to crush unionization efforts. We can’t let that happen. We need to urge our Senators to reconfirm Wilcox immediately.1
The current NLRB is the most pro-worker Board in decades. It’s issued decisions that substantially enhance workers’ right to organize, and increase penalties for corporations that conduct illegal union busting.
President Biden appointed Gwynne Wilcox to her firm NLRB term in 2021. Wilcox is a longtime, highly respected attorney who spent her career as a champion for worker rights, women’s rights, and civil rights. She is the first and only Black woman to serve on the NLRB, and has been vital to the Board’s effectiveness.3
Mitch McConnell’s plan is to obstruct the NLRB by delaying a vote on Wilcox’s renomination as long as possible. He wants an NLRB full of empty seats that won't be able to protect workers’ rights. Thankfully, this week Senator Schumer is advancing Wilcox nomination to a full Senate vote. We need all Senators to quickly vote YES on Wilcox.
Sources:
- New Republic, “Mitch McConnell Is Waging War on Labor. Don’t Worry, He’ll Lose,” August 30, 2023.
- The American Prospect, “A Labor Day Like No Other,” September 4, 2023.
- NBC, “Why Live Nation and Ticketmaster dominate the live entertainment industry,” July 21, 2023.