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‘CRUSHING BLOW TO THE LABOR AGENDA’ AS MANCHIN, SINEMA BLOCK
BIDEN NLRB NOMINEE  
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Brett Wilkins
December 11, 2024
Common Dreams
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_ "These two senators effectively handed Trump control of the board
when his term begins," noted one observer. _

, © The Associated Press

 

In a move likely fraught with major implications for worker rights
during the impending second administration of Republican
President-elect Donald Trump
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Democratic-turned-Independent U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin
[[link removed]] and Kyrsten Sinema
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blocked Democrat Lauren McFerran's bid for a second term on the
National Labor Relations Board.

With every Republican senator except Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas
voting against President Joe Biden's nomination of McFerran for a new
five-year term, the fate of the woman who has led the agency since
2021 was up to Manchin and Sinema—who, as _More Perfect
Union_ founder and executive director Faiz Shakir put it
[[link removed]] on social media,
"consistently spoiled the story of 'what could have been'" by years
of fighting to thwart
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own former party's agenda.

Sinema struck first, her "no" vote on McFerran grinding the
confirmation tally to a 49-49 tie. Manchin, who showed up later, cast
the decisive vote, negating speculation that Vice President Kamala
Harris [[link removed]], the Senate
president who lost the presidential contest to Trump last month, would
break the stalemate.

"It is deeply disappointing, a direct attack on working people, and
incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee—with a
proven track record of protecting worker rights—did not have the
votes," lamented Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Chris Jackson, a former Democratic Lawrence County, Tennessee
commissioner and longtime labor advocate, called
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Sinema's votes "a crushing blow to the labor agenda."

"By casting decisive NO votes against President Biden's NLRB nominee,
they've guaranteed Democrats will lose control of the national labor
board until at least 2026," Jackson said. "Their votes effectively
hand Donald Trump the keys to the board the moment he takes office
again. This is a betrayal of working families—and a gift to
corporate interests, which is par for the course for these two."

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
union, said
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media that while "Manchin and Sinema are responsible for killing
voting rights, worker rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, childcare,
vision, and dental for seniors, and an economy built for the people,"
the two obstructionist senators "are not the story."

"Don't bury the lede," implored Nelson. "The entire GOP has
relentlessly fought against anything good for the vast majority of the
people of this country. The GOP shows once again their total disdain
for their constituents."

"But they better watch what they do in implementing their plans to
make it worse," she warned. "These laws are set up to mostly protect
corporations and getting rid of the last pathetic bits of worker
rights under the law will simply lead to more disruption and CHAOS."

Trump's first term saw relentless attacks 
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workers' rights. Critics fear a second Trump administration—whose
officials and agenda are steeped in the anti-worker Project 2025
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roll back gains achieved under Biden and work to weaken the right to
organize, water down workplace health and safety rules, and strip
overtime pay, to name but a handful of GOP wish-list items.

The latest votes by Manchin and Sinema—who are both leaving Congress
after this term—sparked widespread outrage among workers' rights
defenders on social media, with one account on X, formerly known as
Twitter, posting
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geriatric and Sinema has a long fruitful career ahead of her in a
consulting firm that advocates child slave labor, but at least they
kicked the working class in the teeth one last time. Nothing to do now
but hope there's a hell."

_Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams._

* NLRB
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* Joe Manchin
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* Kyrsten Sinema
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* Anti-Union Politicians
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