In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which created the National Labor Relations Board ("Labor Board") to oversee compliance with the Act and protect the rights of workers. Below is the NLRB logo featuring a bald eagle with an early American flag.
Since then, the Labor Board has smoothed relations between workers and employers, and by protecting the rights of workers has contributed to a substantial increase in the standard of living of American workers.
Charles Fahy, above, was the first General Counsel of the Labor Board. While serving as General Counsel, Fahy fought fiercely for the enforcement of the NLRA and appeared 18 times before the Supreme Court.
J. Warren Madden, above, served as the first Chair of the Labor Board. Madden is credited with expanding the scope and credibility of the agency, making it a fixture for labor rights in the nation's capital. He understood as well as anyone that democracy is critical in the workplace.
Wilma Liebman, above, was designated Chair of the Labor Board by President Obama in 2009, becoming the second woman to hold that esteemed position. Following her resignation from the Labor Board in 2011, she taught at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Mark Pearce, above, was appointed as Chair of the Labor Board by President Obama once Ms. Liebman's term expired. He is the current Chair and has done a phenomenal job. He is also an accomplished painter. He has helped guide the Labor Board in the application of the NLRA to a rapidly changing Digital Age economy.
Above is a summary of the rights covered by the National Labor Relations Act. The Labor Board may require employers that have violated the NLRA to post a similar notice at workplaces for a specified amount of time.
Rachel See, standing in between Chairman Pearce and the General Counsel Richard Griffin, is the Lead Tech Counsel for the Labor Board. She is appreciated by many for her legal insights and humor on Twitter. Photo by Richard Griffin.
Member Harry Johnson, above, gave the first dissent ever with color illustrations in Purple Communications. His term ended, sadly, on August 27, 2015. Photo by Rachel See.
Above, the former Labor Board member Johnson explains the relevance of the Archbishop of Canterbury to employment law at a ABA LEL conference. Photo by Rachel See.
Above is General Counsel Griffin with Bloomberg in February of 2015 to discuss the Labor Board's agenda for the year.
Above, Chairman Pearce and members Hirozawa, McFerran, and Miscimarra at the ABA LEL conference in Philadelphia show the humor and spirit that animate the Labor Board. Photo by Mark Pearce.
