We Did It! Senate Confirms Democratic Majority NLRB

CWA updates one of the AFL-CIO's old NLRB signs.

For the first time in a decade, the National Labor Relations Board has five Senate-confirmed members.

CWA led this fight, and e-mails and phone calls from thousands of activists made all the difference.

Senate Democrats stood strong to force the Republican minority to stop the obstruction that kept too many of the President's executive nominations waiting for Senate action for as long as two years. That means that this Labor Day, 80 million private sector workers will continue to have the protections of federal law and the only agency that can enforce workplace rights will be fully functional.

CWA President Larry Cohen pointed out that, "President Obama began his second term without a Democratic majority on the NLRB, and for workers that has meant continued delay in workplace justice, whether to enforce their bargaining rights or protect them from an employer's illegal action. The Senate action confirming the NLRB members is a step toward justice for millions of workers."

The five NLRB members are Democrats Mark Pearce, Nancy Schiffer, and Kent Hirozawa, and Republicans Harry Johnson and Phil Miscimarra.

Groups like The Democracy Initiative, founded by CWA, the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and NAACP, and the Fix the Senate Now coalition are continuing to work for Senate confirmation of additional executive branch nominations and judicial nominations that have languished because of the broken Senate rules. With 60 votes required for the Senate to move forward on any business, and Republicans determined to abuse the rules to block key nominations, it's no surprise that little is accomplished.

The Democracy Initiative now includes more than 60 organizations and also is working to curb the corrupting influence of corporate money in politics and stop the attack on voter rights.