President Donald Trump shook up the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Monday by firing its union-friendly General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and board member Gwynne Wilcox in a move that will likely be challenged in court.
The NLRB enforces the country’s labor laws and oversees union elections.
The agency’s former top attorney described the role as her “greatest honor and privilege” and touted the work she and her colleagues had achieved over the past four years, which she said included “empowering workers to collectively seek improved wages, benefits, and working conditions from their employers.”
“There’s no putting that genie back in the bottle. So, if the Agency does not fully effectuate its Congressional mandate in the future as we did during my tenure, I expect that 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, as well as a fair share of the significant value they add to their employer’s operations,” she added.
Deputy General Counsel Jessica Rutter is now serving as Acting General Counsel, Abruzzo said.
Additionally on Monday, Trump fired NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox, a Democrat also appointed by Biden.
In a statement provided to media outlets, Wilcox said it had been an honor to serve as both a Board Member and Chair of the NLRB and vowed to pursue “all legal avenues” to challenge her removal which she said “violates long-standing Supreme Court precedent.”
“As the first Black woman Board Member, I brought a unique perspective that I believe will be lost upon my unprecedented and illegal removal,” Wilcox said.
Trump’s decision to fire both Abruzzo and Wilcox comes at a time when the agency already has existing vacancies. It leaves the five-seat board with only two members, rendering it unable to issue decisions even in routine cases accusing companies or unions of violating federal labor law.
Critics Condemn Firings
While courts upheld Biden’s 2021 termination of Peter Robb, a labor lawyer appointed to the NLRB general counsel role by Trump, national labor law states that once board members are confirmed, they may only be removed for “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause.”Trump’s reasoning for the terminations is unclear but suggests a turn away from the union-friendly policies and legal theories embraced by the board under the Biden administration.
The Epoch Times has contacted the White House for comment.
“By leaving only two board members in their posts, the President has effectively shut down the National Labor Relations Board’s operations, leaving the workers it defends on their own in the face of union-busting and retaliation,” Shuler said.
She said the terminations will “make it easier for bosses to violate the law and trample on workers’ legal rights on the job and fundamental freedom to organize.”
Others, however, welcomed Trump’s decision and accused the NLRB of “undermining employer free speech” and “engaging in misconduct,” under Abruzzo’s leadership.
“This has undermined Americans’ right to earn a living as they see fit,” Walberg continued. “It is past time this organization return to its role as a neutral arbiter.”
He described her as a “radical Biden-Harris bureaucrat who spearheaded Biden’s weaponization of NLRB, enabling American workers to be pressured and coerced into unionizing.”
The Epoch Times has contacted the NLRB for further comment.
