Vital to addressing illegal labor practices, interference with union organizing, and deciding disputes with union elections, the NLRB ensures that labor laws are enforced, and the rights of workers remain protected, with employers held accountable for unfair and illegal labor practices.
Trump’s nomination of Scott Mayer raises alarms for the labor movement. Scott Mayer was Boeing’s top lawyer in the Boeing machinists’ strike in 2024 when union members were forced to strike for a new contract, after enduring nearly two decades of past contracts that decimated their retirement and health care benefits. The over 50 day strike ended with 59% of members voting to accept a labor contract with a 38% wage increase, after rejecting two contract offers that did not adequately address their concerns.
By nominating Scott Mayer, and James Murphy, Trump seeks to install a Republican majority at the federal board.
First, the Labor Department ordered its staff to stop enforcing a Biden administration rule that had prevented employers from designating their workers as independent contractors instead of employees, which denies them the legal protections and wage and hour benefits that employees receive.
Just days later, Chavez-DeRemer submitted a proposed budget to Congress that would decrease the Department of Labor’s discretionary funding by more than 35%, to $8.6 billion from $13.2 billion. The proposed budget would also cut nearly 4,000 full-time workers from the workforce.
On July 1st, Chavez-DeRemer announced another blow to workers, stating that the department planned to rescind 63 regulations that are instrumental in protecting worker’s health and safety, claiming that this decision “eliminated unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity.”
These regulations protect workers from everything from exposure to workplace pollutants such as asbestos, arsenic and lead, to heat related injuries. According to a report compiled by the AFL-CIO, workplace hazards kill approximately 140,000 workers each year—including 5,283 from traumatic injuries and an estimated 135,000 from occupational diseases.
Rather than work to protect workers’ legal protections, wage benefits, health, and safety, Chavez-DeRemer appears intent on furthering Trump’s agenda, which prioritizes billionaires at the expense of working people.
On June 30, the Department of Education had notified state education agencies that the nearly $7 billion in federal funding that is allocated towards after-school and summer programs, support for students learning English, teacher training and other services would be withheld. The Trump administration stated that this decision was made so that the administration could conduct a review of how the funds were used, accusing schools of subsidizing a “radical left-wing agenda.”
In a lawsuit, Democratic leaders in 24 states said the move was illegal. The Trump administration also received backlash in the form of a public letter signed by 10 Republican senators, who called for the funding to be released.
Essential for parents who work full-time, after-school programs are affordable, and provide a safe space for children. About 20 percent of students in after-school programs nationwide rely on federal funding, according to the Afterschool Alliance, an advocacy group. While the $1.3 billion that has been released will ensure the continuation of these vital after-school programs, the remaining $5.5 billion of the funding has yet to be released.
From our wages, and benefits, to health and safety regulations, the Trump administration continues to launch attacks on our workplaces and our public schools. It is essential that we continue to empower our members with the facts that they need to know in the upcoming November 4 election, to ensure that working families make their voices heard.