Last night, President Trump fired National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) acting Chair Gwynne Wilcox, as well as NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. Trump’s firing of Wilcox leaves the NLRB without a quorum and unable to conduct business. In her statement announcing her departure, Abruzzo said that if the NLRB “does not fully effectuate its Congressional mandate in the future as we did during my tenure, I expect workers with assistance from their advocates will take matters into their own hands in order to get well-deserved dignity and respect in the workplace.” Reactions to these actions included: (1) House Education and Workforce Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI), who said, “Abruzzo’s reign distorted [the NLRB’s] mission” and weaponized the agency to “advance a radical agenda”; (2) Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who said, “[u]nder Abruzzo’s leadership, the Board weaponized its authority against American workers, opening them up to intimidation, coercion, and forced unionization;” and (3) House Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), who said the firing of Wilcox, “denied her right to due process and a hearing” and that the President “cannot fire a sitting Board Member without cause, such as malfeasance, neglect of duty, or misconduct.”
