With Senate Confirmation of NLRB Member John Ring, NLRB Shifts to Republican Majority

By Jennifer A. Dunn - Franczek Radelet P.C.

April 11, 2018

Today, the Senate, voting along party lines 50 to 48, confirmed John Ring as a member of the National Labor Relations Board. With Ring’s confirmation, the five-member NLRB is now fully staffed with a 3-2 Republican majority membership.

Ring, a former management-side attorney, joins NLRB Chairman Marvin E. Kaplan, and Members Lauren McFerran, Mark Gaston Pearce and William J. Emanuel.

As we reported earlier, the last time the NLRB was at full strength with its Republican majority, it quickly jettisoned a number of Obama-era decisions that were the subject of much employer criticism. With Ring’s confirmation, we expect the NLRB to continue to revisit these decisions, including the NLRB’s decision in Purple Communications, which addresses employees’ use of employer email systems for union and protected concerted activity.

We will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates as necessary.