On September 15, 2017, the White House announced that President Donald Trump would nominate labor attorney Peter Robb as the next General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If the Senate confirms Robb, he will replace current General Counsel Richard Griffin. Griffin’s term expires on October 31, 2017.
General Counsel’s Role
The President appoints the General Counsel to a 4-year term. The GC operates independently from the 5-member National Labor Relations Board. The position is responsible for investigating and prosecuting unfair labor practice cases. The General Counsel also oversees the NLRB field offices.
Peter Robb
Peter B. Robb practices labor and employment law with Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC. He served as chief counsel to NLRB Member Robert P. Hunter (R) in the 1980s. He had previously served as NLRB field attorney and a supervisory attorney with the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
Robb received his B.A. from Georgetown University. He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he was an editor of the Maryland Law Forum.
Before joining Downs Rachlin Martin, Robb practiced with Proskauer Rose LLP for approximately 10 years.
Also Considered
G. Roger King, was an apparent early front-runner for the General Counsel position. However, he reportedly dropped out of consideration in July.
King is a former Jones Day attorney, who now works for McGuiness & Yager LLP and the HR Policy Association.
Remaining NLRB Vacancies
President Trump has already nominated experienced labor attorney William Emanuel to fill a current Board member vacancy on the NLRB. The Senate will likely confirm Emanuel to join the Board in the near future.
NLRB Chairman Philip Miscimarra has announced he will not accept a new term when his expires in December. Bloomberg BNA has reported that Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP partner John Ring is the leading candidate for this position.
Impact of NLRB Transition
During the Obama administration, Griffin and his predecessor Lafe Solomon aggressively prosecuted employers. Combined with the Democrat-majority Board, they expanded employee and union rights in many areas.
Experts expect the NLRB will be more employer-friendly under President Trump. Sign up for my email newsletter to receive more updates about NLRB developments.