Group says that the former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) employees have clear conflict of interest and bias when adjudicating cases involving SEIU

Washington, D.C. – On January 14, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW), composed of nearly 500 major business organizations, released the following statement after submitting a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) calling for the immediate recusal of NLRB Members David Prouty and Gwynne Wilcox from cases involving their former employer, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), due to what the group says represents a blatant conflict of interest that jeopardizes the ability of the NLRB to adjudicate cases fairly and objectively.

The following can be attributed to Kristen Swearingen, Chair of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace:

“It is imperative that NLRB Members David Prouty and Gwynne Wilcox recuse themselves from any current and future NLRB cases involving their former employer, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and issues their former employer advocated for to prevent this blatant conflict of interest and to preserve the integrity of the institution.

“These conflicts of interest undermine confidence in the ability of the NLRB to fairly and objectively make decisions that will significantly affect the U.S. economy – and thereby the global economy. Federal law and ethics standards outline the conditions that would necessitate recusal, and NLRB Members Prouty and Wilcox clearly meet that threshold.

“Even if Prouty and Wilcox are not in direct violation of the law, federal ethics standards establishes that the mere appearance of a conflict of interest demands that they recuse themselves from these matters.

“Given the direct or incidental conflicts of interest and the damage it would cause to the NLRB’s reputation as well President Biden’s pledge to uphold high standards of ethics within his administration, NLRB Members David Prouty and Gwynne Wilcox must recuse themselves from all current and future cases involving SEIU or the labor issues SEIU is involved with.”

Click here to read the full letter.

 

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About The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW) represents more than 600 major business organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Small Business Association, National Restaurant Association, National Association of Home Builders, National Retail Federation, National Grocers Association, International Franchise Association, National Association of Manufacturers, International Council of Shopping Centers and American Trucking Association.

CDW is a broad-based coalition of hundreds of organizations representing hundreds of thousands of employers and millions of employees in various industries across the country concerned with a long-standing effort by some in the labor movement to make radical changes to the National Labor Relations Act without regard to the severely negative impact they would have on employees, employers, and the economy. CDW was originally formed in 2005 in opposition to the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) – a bill similar to the PRO Act – that would have stripped employees of the right to secret ballots in union representation elections and allowed arbitrators to set contract terms regardless of the consequence to workers or businesses.

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