Marvin E. Kaplan was sworn in today as a member of the National Labor Relations Board for a term ending on Aug. 27, 2020. The U.S. Senate confirmed Kaplan along party lines on Aug. 2, bringing the Board one step closer to a Republican majority expected to be more employer-friendly than the Obama-appointed Board. The five-member board had been operating with a Democratic majority of two, a Republican minority of one, and two vacancies since Pres. Trump took office.
AGC welcomes the addition of Kaplan to the Board given his substantial and diverse labor policy background. Kaplan was serving as Chief Counsel of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission when nominated. Previously, he spent almost seven years on Capitol Hill, first as counsel to the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and then to the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee. Prior to that, he served as a Special Assistant in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management and Standards.
Pres. Trump has nominated William Emanuel, a management-side attorney with the law firm Littler Mendelson, for the remaining Board vacancy. The timing of his confirmation hearing is uncertain but expected to take place soon.