Building a Political Movement: A New NLRB: Another Path to Protecting Workers' Rights

CWA’s and labor’s success in getting two new members appointed to the National Labor Relations Board this spring was a big victory for protecting workers’ bargaining and organizing rights, especially in light of efforts by some members of Congress to block the Employee Free Choice Act.

Members of CWA’s Legislative Politicial Action Team contacted members of Congress and urged them to sign a letter to President Obama, urging him to make recess appointments of two pro-worker members to the NLRB, Craig Becker and Mark Pearce. Some 141 members of Congress signed the letter circulated by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), and a separate letter was sent by the Pennsylvania congressional delegation urging President Obama to act.

Without the recess appointments, neither nominee would have received the 60 votes necessary in the U.S. Senate to end a filibuster. Some of the same Senators who blocked passage of the Employee Free Choice Act, like Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, were blocking these nominees, and even launched a filibuster to prevent a final vote on the nomination of Becker.

Pearce and Republican Brian Hayes have now been confirmed by the Senate.

For more than a year, the five-member NLRB had just two members, creating a backlog of important cases that left tens of thousands of workers with no recourse for justice.

CWA President Larry Cohen said that “for too long, workers’ interests have been pushed aside when it comes to workplace justice. We need to end the gridlock, reduce the backlog and resolve the important cases that now are before the Board.”

Included in that backlog are cases covering thousands of workers seeking justice. Some 300 NABET-CWA members at CNN were illegally fired more than six years ago. Despite decisions by the administrative law judge that condemned CNN for its illegal tactics, the workers’ fight goes on.