Today, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will hold a hearing on the Trump administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nominations. Janet Dhillon and Daniel Gade are the nominees. Dhillon, who is currently the general counsel of Burlington Stores, began her career at a large corporate law firm before transitioning in-house. She was tapped to become the next chairwoman. Gade, an Iraq War veteran and West Point professor, would be the only non-lawyer on the Commission if confirmed. Gade, who was wounded during service resulting in the loss of his right leg, was once profiled in the New York Times for his advocacy of reining in disability pay for veterans (“People who stay home because they are getting paid enough to get by on disability are worse off”). The addition of Dhillon and Gade would produce a 3-2 Republican majority on the Commission.
In other appointment news, the Trump administration announced last week that it will nominate Peter Robb to be the next general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Robb is a management-side labor attorney based in Vermont. He previously worked as an NLRB field attorney before transitioning into the private sector. Robb has reportedly been critical of certain Obama-era policies, including the rule limiting the period of time between employees filing a petition to organize and the corresponding election.
The New York Times discusses the State Department’s tightened rules for visas into the U.S. As Gardiner Harris reports, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed various U.S. embassies that “visitors who require a visa before entering the United States must then follow through on their stated plans for at least three months. If in that period they do something they failed to mention in an interview with a consular official … it will be presumed that they have deliberately lied.” Under previous rules, a change in plans was viewed as a misrepresentation only for the first month after arrival to the U.S.
Ontario-based General Motors workers began striking on Sunday. Union leaders report an impasse in discussions to keep jobs from moving to Mexico. The union also reports that negotiations began to fail upon its demand that the plant be the primary assembly site for the Chevrolet Equinox, a car that has been very successful for G.M.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
January 5
Minor league hockey players strike and win new deal; Hochul endorses no tax on tips; Trump administration drops appeal concerning layoffs.
December 22
Worker-friendly legislation enacted in New York; UW Professor wins free speech case; Trucking company ordered to pay $23 million to Teamsters.
December 21
Argentine unions march against labor law reform; WNBA players vote to authorize a strike; and the NLRB prepares to clear its backlog.
December 19
Labor law professors file an amici curiae and the NLRB regains quorum.
December 18
New Jersey adopts disparate impact rules; Teamsters oppose railroad merger; court pauses more shutdown layoffs.
December 17
The TSA suspends a labor union representing 47,000 officers for a second time; the Trump administration seeks to recruit over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts to the federal workforce; and the New York Times reports on the tumultuous changes that U.S. labor relations has seen over the past year.