Firefighters & Maine AFL-CIO Condemn Supreme Court’s Attack on Workers’ Rights

The Professional Fire Fighters of Maine and the Maine AFL-CIO condemn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to allow President Donald Trump’s unprecedented firings of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) member Cathy Harris to stand. The firing of Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the board, denied the NLRB the quorum it needed to handle labor complaints and hold union-busters accountable. Wilcox still had three years left in her term and Harris had four years left in her term.

“This Supreme Court decision blatantly ignores legal precedent to undermine the centuries-long independence of federal agencies and unjustly attacks the ability of workers to organize, collectively bargain and demand their rights on the job,” said Matt Schlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO. “Over 90 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled against President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he illegally fired a member of the Federal Trade Commission because he was appointed by a President of the opposite party. That decision established the framework for how independent federal agencies must operate, including limiting the number of agency members from any one political party.By ignoring legal precedent, the radical anti-worker majority on the Supreme Court has handed a gift to corporate CEOs by empowering multi-billion dollar corporations to violate the rights of employees. It leaves workers at the political whims of whoever is President. But this isn’t the end of this fight. We will continue to hold this administration accountable for its anti-worker agenda and ask our elected officials to stand up for workers’ rights.”

The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protects the rights of private sector employees to organize, bargain collectively with employers, and engage in other protected concerted activities. The Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent federal agency that protects the integrity of the federal merit system by adjudicating employee appeals and resolving disputes, unfair labor practice complaints, and exceptions to arbitration awards for federal employees.

“This destructive ruling subverts the independence of our federal agencies and erodes our confidence that the NLRB and MSPB will make independent, fact-based opinions to uphold our federal labor laws without political interference from the executive branch,” said Michael Crouse, Secretary of Professional Fire Fighters of Maine. “Workers have the right under federal law to organize unions, engaged in collective bargaining and seek remedies from these agencies when employers break the law, but we need fair and objective regulatory agencies to make decisions on these matters. We ask our elected officials to support measures that will strengthen our rights, such as Congressman Jared Golden’s bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act, which will restore collective bargaining rights for federal employees.”