Progressive Voices Highlight Why NLRB Matters to America

Washington, DC – In a series of new ads, leading progressive organizations are calling on the Senate to confirm President Obama’s nominees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and making the case for why the NLRB matters to all Americans.

The recent ads from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), Sierra Club, and the NAACP demonstrate that the current Senate obstruction over the NLRB and other nominations is unacceptable.  In addition to voicing their support for confirming the slate of five, bipartisan NLRB nominees, the ads also highlight the important role of the Board in fighting discrimination and enforcing workers’ rights.

Later this summer, the US Senate is expected to take up the slate of nominees.  Two of the five seats on the NLRB are currently vacant and the term of another member will expire in August. Without the Senate majority taking action to overcome obstruction and move these nominees forward, the NLRB will stop functioning by late August.

See the recent ads:

• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force “Message to the Senate from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force” in The Hill: “The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is the agency that enforces federal labor law. Fewer than half the states provide any sort of anti-discrimination protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender employees. And because there is no federal law that bars workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, LGBT workers who suffer workplace discrimination have no remedy or recourse. We call on the Senate majority to confirm all five NLRB members to safeguard workers’ rights on the job so that LGBT workers, who may be especially vulnerable to the whims of their employers, may have their rights protection be a fully functioning NLRB.”
• Sierra Club ‘Give Us 5 NLRB Nominees’ ad featured in Roll Call: “We can’t hold big polluters accountable or protect the rights of American workers and consumers if we’ve got no cops on the beat. But, inaction in the Senate has left key watchdog agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Labor Relations Board without leaders while putting key safeguards in jeopardy. The Senate Majority needs to break the logjam and confirm the President’s qualified nominees to fix the Senate and show the American people they can still get things done.”

• NAACP’s “Message to the Senate from the NAACP” ad featured in Politico: “A strong labor relations board is absolutely crucial to protecting the rights and concerns of racial and ethnic minorities as well as all Americans that work under the opportunities and protections offered by labor unions. Labor unions, more than any other institution in the United States, are responsible for creating and providing a pathway for more African Americans to enter into the middle class. The Senate must protect all workers and help preserve a strong middle class by confirming all five members of the NLRB.

Contact: Chuck Porcari or Kendra Marr Chaikind, 202-434-1168, cporcari@cwa-union.org or kmarr@cwa-union.org