On December 18, the U.S. Senate approved an en bloc nominations package that included 97 Trump administration nominees. The 53-43 party-line vote was facilitated by the Senate’s recent decision to lower the threshold for sub-cabinet level positions to just a simple majority, rather than the typical 60-vote threshold.
Ahead of the vote, IEC and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace supported (more here) the nominations of three National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) nominees included in the package: NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey and NLRB Members James Murphy and Scott Mayer.
With the confirmation of the three nominees, the NLRB will have a pro-business general counsel to set the NLRB’s agenda and follow the rule of law, and it will have a board quorum for the first time in nearly a year.
“Lacking a functional quorum for nearly all of 2025, the NLRB failed to address any of the numerous Biden-era Board policies that tilted the labor-management landscape in favor of labor unions,” said Jim Plunkett of labor and employment law firm Ogletree Deakins. “Those policies included ambush election regulations, as well as decisions limiting employers’ abilities to communicate with employees, a lowered standard for the issuance of bargaining orders, expanded remedies, and a second-guessing of commonsense workplace rules, among others.”
With Mayer and Murphy joining the lone Democrat David Prouty on the board, the new 2-1 Republican majority has a quorum, which allows it to resume more regular operations and rule on noncontroversial matters before the board. However, overturning that Biden-era precedent might not happen so quickly. Longstanding board practice requires three affirmative votes to overturn existing precedent.
Confirmation of a third IEC-supported NLRB member will allow the NLRB to reverse policies implemented during the radical Biden administration era NLRB that upset decades of labor and employment law precedent via controversial case decisions.
Among the NLRB nominees and other 94 positions confirmed by the Senate on December 18, several notable U.S. Department of Labor public servants will be responsible for workforce development and labor and employment policy issues of interest to IEC.
Henry Mack will run the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration charged with overseeing workforce development and apprenticeship policy and programs.
Rosario Pamieri will serve as the DOL Assistant Secretary for Labor Policy.
Jeremiah Workman is the Assistant Secretary of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service.
Former Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) will be the DOL’s Inspector General.
IEC congratulates these key NLRB and DOL leaders for making it through the Senate confirmation process and looks forward to working with them in Washington, D.C.