A Republican-led U.S. Senate committee approved President Trump's picks for two key roles at the National Labor Relations Board, but scrapped a vote on a third nominee whose confirmation is needed to restore the paralyzed agency's ability to decide cases.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 12-11 to approve the nominations of retired NLRB lawyer James Murphy for a seat on the five-member board and Morgan Lewis partner Crystal Carey to serve as the agency's general counsel. The panel's approval sends the nominations to the full Senate for confirmation votes.
But the committee canceled a planned vote on Trump's nomination of Boeing Chief Labor Counsel Scott Mayer for another seat on the board after he clashed with Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, during a hearing last week. It was not clear whether the committee still plans to vote on Mayer's nomination.
The NLRB currently has only one member, Democrat David Prouty, after Trump in January took the unprecedented step of firing Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox and Republican Marvin Kaplan's term expired in August. The loss of a quorum of at least three members has left hundreds of cases in limbo, including dozens in which employers are challenging unions' election victories.
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