D.C. Circuit of Appeals rules NLRB Recess Appointments Unconstitutional
MEA Members,
Knowing of your interest in labor issues, I wanted to make you aware of a very important ruling by the D.C. Circuit of Appeals. This morning, the Appeals Court ruled that the
three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) made by President Obama a year ago are unconstitutional.
The NLRB’s activist and aggressive actions in recent years have raised significant concerns, including challenges to the constitutionality of the Board’s composition. Today’s
ruling gives strong confirmation to those concerns and is a significant rebuke of what has become an increasingly overreaching NLRB with an intent to ignore its statutory
authority.
If this ruling stands, Chairman Mark Pearce will be the only properly seated member of the NLRB until August when his term expires. This ruling speaks volumes about the way the
Board has been constituted and throws a significant roadblock in its rulemaking ability.
For manufacturers that have been forced to deal with increased burdensome regulations, this is an important moment-perhaps a sign that we may see an NLRB in the future that
will exist to improve employer-employee relations in this country rather than tear them down.
The NAM will be reviewing the opinion thoroughly to determine what impact this significant development will have on any and all decisions made by the Board over the past
year.
We will keep you apprised of developments.
Best regards,
Kevin Robins
CEO, MidAtlantic Employers’ Association
610-994-7719
Alert from National Association of Manufacturers.