NCL statement on the new NLRB appointees – National Consumers League

January 5, 2012

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) issued this statement: The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds President Obama for appointing Sharon Block, Terence F. Flynn and Richard Griffin to fill the vacancies at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“These three appointments to the NLRB, a five seat board which as of January 3rd had only two members, helps to ensure that the Board is able to continue in its vital role,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director.

All three appointees are exceptionally qualified sit on the NLRB.  Block was the Senior Labor & Employment Counsel to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee under Senator Edward M. Kennedy and most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs at the Department of Labor. Flynn served as Chief Counsel to NLRB Board Member Brian Hayes and has previously served as Chief Counsel to former NLRB Board Member Peter Schaumber. Griffin was the General Counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers and serves on the Board of Directors for the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee.

“We applaud these appointments, ” said Greenberg. “We applaud President Obama for ensuring that an independent NLRB is able to continue in its mission of safeguarding employees’ rights to organize and promoting civil and efficient union-management relations and collective bargaining.”

“There is a common misperception that the NLRB is merely ‘pro-labor’,” said Michell McIntyre, Project Director for NCL’s Special Project on Wage Theft. “The reality is that the NLRB is an impartial independent agency designed to foster open, productive dialogue between employers and employees on fair labor practices, including collective bargaining, elections, and union representation—common sense goals intended to benefit both labor and management.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.