Following an ACS event focusing on the 75th anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which was created to protect the rights of workers and encourage collective bargaining, Professor James J. Brudney talked with ACSblog about the historical nature of the act and the impact of the evolving nature of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on it. Brudney noted that NLRB, which administers the NLRA and enforces employees' rights, has evolved overtime to become a more politicized body. Brudney said that the historically the NLRB was not a political entity. But the NLRB has become more political Brudney said, noting that in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan began appointing attorneys to the NLRB who had "experience in union-avoidance terms."
The event also included a keynote address by Deputy Secretary of Labor, Seth Harris, followed by a panel discussion of scholars and former NLRB members. The panel moderated by West Virginia University law school professor Anne M. Lofaso, included Brudney, and former NLRB members Dennis Walsh and Marshall B. Babson.
Brudney's interview is below or can be downloaded as podcast here. Video of the entire event, including Harris' keynote, is here or can be viewed by clicking image of Harris (right).
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