Trump Names Lawyer to Round Out Labor Board

The White House announced on Jan. 12 that President Trump plans to nominate John Ring, a labor lawyer and partner at a firm that has advised him and the Trump Organization on taxes since 2005, as his pick to fill a vacant seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), reports Reuters . Ring would succeed former NLRB Chairman Phil Miscimarra, whose term ended on Dec. 16. Ring's appointment, which must be confirmed by the Senate, would mark the restoration of a GOP majority at the NLRB, which currently has two Democrats and two Republicans. Under the Trump administration, lawyers and business groups had expected the board to rescind a series of decisions and policy reforms adopted during the Obama administration. In the week leading up to the conclusion of Miscimarra's term, the NLRB overruled five decisions that were widely viewed by companies and trade groups as favoring unions, concerning issues such as when companies are liable for legal violations by contractors, staffing agencies, and franchisees, as well as the validity of workplace rules and whether proposed bargaining units are appropriate. The website of Morgan Lewis, where Ring leads its Labor & Employment Practice Group, says Ring "represents management interests in collective bargaining, employee benefits, litigation, counseling, and litigation avoidance strategies." Morgan Lewis notes if confirmed, Ring would begin a five-year term dating from Dec. 17, 2017.