President Donald Trump is pushing to put a Republican majority on the board that handles private-sector labor disputes and union elections. This board hasn’t been able to make decisions because Trump fired a Democratic member, Gwynne Wilcox, earlier this year—something that has never happened since the board was set up in 1935.
On Wednesday, the White House sent the Senate the names of Scott Mayer and James Murphy to fill those vacancies. Mayer is Boeing’s chief labor lawyer, while Murphy is a longtime National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) attorney. If the Senate confirms them, they will join the board’s acting Republican chair, Marvin Kaplan, and Democrat David Prouty.
The NLRB’s job is to handle cases like illegal labor practices and disputes over union elections. Normally, the board needs at least three members to make decisions. Without a quorum, it can’t review rulings from its administrative judges, which means many cases just sit without enforcement. This has frustrated unions and workers because some employers haven’t been held accountable for serious violations, like firing people for supporting unions or refusing to bargain.
The firing of Wilcox has caused legal battles. The Supreme Court allowed her removal to stand while her challenge moves forward. This could reshape how much power a president has over independent agencies. The board also faces lawsuits from companies like Amazon and SpaceX, which claim the board’s structure and processes break the Constitution.
If Mayer and Murphy join the board, a Republican majority is expected to undo many of the pro-union policies made under the Biden administration. This includes a 2023 ruling that allowed workers to unionize without a secret-ballot election and a decision that prevents employers from making workers attend anti-union meetings.
Mayer has been Boeing’s chief labor counsel since 2022 and has worked at big companies like hotel and resort chains. Boeing recently ended a tough seven-week strike after factory workers approved a new union contract. Murphy has been with the NLRB since 1974 and knows the agency inside and out, having worked with many board members over the years.
No one from the White House, NLRB, Boeing, or Murphy has commented yet on the nominations. But if confirmed, the board will be back in action with a clear Republican majority after months of being stuck.