The Trump administration’s choice to be the third Republican on the National Labor Relations Board moved a step closer to taking office and unlocking the board’s ability to drive labor law in a more employer-friendly direction.
James Macy’s nomination to join the NLRB will get consideration June 24 from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the panel announced Wednesday. Committee approval would clear the way for the full Senate to consider confirming Macy, a Republican who currently serves as the director for the Labor Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.
The NLRB’s two Republican members have honored a longstanding agency norm of not overturning precedents without a third vote in the affirmative. Macy’s confirmation would give the board a 3-1 partisan split, with three GOP members, Democrat David Prouty, and one Democratic seat still unfilled.
Macy coasted through his nomination hearing, signaling that he’ll win the support of enough HELP Committee members to advance to the full Senate.
The lawmakers will also weigh Prouty’s nomination for another five-year term on the NLRB, as well as economist Brett Matsumoto’s candidacy to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Senate needs to confirm at least one NLRB nominee before Prouty’s current term ends Aug. 27 or the board will again drop below the minimum number of members required to rule in cases.