Press Release National
Labor Relations Board Office of the Chairman
February 17, 2010
Contact:
Office of Public Affairs
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NLRB
Chairman Wilma Liebman discusses state of American labor law
In remarks delivered to the
“On the one hand, it is gratifying that, after
so many decades of marginalization, labor law and labor policy are once again
in the public eye. In that sense, the ongoing debate is welcome, however
rancorous,” said Liebman, who was appointed to the Board in 1997 and named
Chairman in January 2009. “On the other hand, it is discouraging to see how
deep the divisions are and how paralyzed the process has become.”
Liebman noted that labor laws have
provided access to economic justice at the workplace, contributed to the
expansion of the American middle class and allowed labor and business to reach
their own solutions in response to changing economic conditions. “Labor law
still matters,” she said, although “the collective bargaining system and the
legal institutions that support it are under severe stress.”
“Sober public dialogue is sorely
needed if we are to figure out how to allow, indeed encourage, business to be
flexible and competitive, yet also ensure workers the protections and promise
of the law,” Liebman continued. “In other words, how are we to achieve the
necessary delicate balance between market freedom and democratic values? What
road we take in addressing these issues will depend on what kind of society we
want to be.”
Click here
for the full text of the speech.
The National Labor Relations Board
is an independent federal agency vested with the power to safeguard employees'
rights to organize and to determine whether to have unions as their bargaining
representative. The agency also acts to prevent and remedy unfair labor
practices committed by private sector employers and unions.
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