Andrew Strom, labor lawyer and adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the current state of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Strom shed light on the impact of Trump's actions on the agency, the challenges faced by workers seeking justice and the potential consequences for future labor rights.
Strom explained how Trump's firing of key NLRB officials, including General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and Board Member Gwen Wilcox, severely hampered the agency's ability to function effectively. This one-two punch left workers without a functioning labor board and removed a leader committed to enforcing labor laws. As a result, there has been a significant slowdown in case processing, he noted, with investigations now taking up to six months instead of the previous three-month average.
The labor lawyer then highlighted the alarming statistic that only 1 percent of all charges filed with the NLRB lead to a decision by board members. In 2024, the board issued only about 250 decisions, despite nearly 25,000 cases being filed. Strom emphasized that this bottleneck in the system, combined with the current administration's anti-union stance, has led many unions to play "keep away" from the NLRB, fearing that any cases brought forward could result in precedents harmful to workers' rights.
Strom spoke about the critical role of the NLRB's General Counsel in shaping labor law enforcement. He explained how Abruzzo's approach differed from her predecessors, pushing for full backpay in settlements and challenging the use of non-admission clauses. However, with Trump's appointee now in charge, the regional staff has been directed to be less aggressive in settling cases. Strom believes this shift, combined with unions' reluctance to file charges, threatens to weaken the NLRB's effectiveness further and could lead to a decline in worker protections.
To hear more about the challenges facing the NLRB and their impact on workers' rights, listen to the full episode of America's Work Force Union Podcast.
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