NLRB Update - Senate Confirms Appointment Of Former Management-Side Labor Lawyer

By Kamer Zucker Abbott

September 27, 2017

Monday, the U.S. Senate confirmed William J. Emanuel to join the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB").  As we previously discussed, Mr. Emanuel is the second of President Trump's appointees to the NLRB, which has in recent years been operating with only three Board members. This appointment gives the Board a Republican majority for the first time in nearly a decade.

Mr. Emanuel was most recently a partner with Littler Mendelson in Los Angeles, California, where he represented employers in labor matters, including NLRB cases, collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, and union election campaigns.   He received his B.A. from Marquette University and his J.D. from Georgetown University.

Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI), chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, issued the following joint statement on Mr. Emanuel's appointment:

It's a new day at the NLRB. Today marks the end of a partisan era at the board, where we saw an activist agenda that empowered special interests at the expense of hardworking men and women. As the committee continues to undo the damage that's been done, we look forward to finally having a fair and balanced board that will serve as an impartial referee and protect the rights of workers and job creators.

Nevada's Senator Dean Heller echoed these sentiments with the following statement:

I'm encouraged that the National Labor Relations Board now has a new majority for the first time in nearly a decade, and I am confident that it will be instrumental in making balanced decisions that will help boost our economy and create jobs in Nevada and around the country. For too long, under this past Administration the board moved from a position of neutral arbiter to partisan activist. William J. Emanuel is a well-qualified nominee who will work hard to put forward the best policies to support Nevada's workers and employers.  []  I'm confident he will be helpful in bringing stability back to this board so that Nevada's hardworking families and small business owners can fully thrive.

We will keep you posted on Board developments as this new era begins.