[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 132 (Thursday, August 3, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFIRMATION OF MARVIN KAPLAN
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I voted in opposition to the
nomination of Marvin Kaplan to the National Labor Relations Board,
NLRB. The NLRB has an important responsibility to resolve labor
disputes, protect worker rights, and ensure fair access to collective
bargaining. Mr. Kaplan does not have experience arguing the law before
the NLRB; rather, he has a history of working to erode its authority to
protect the workforce.
As a staffer on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce,
Mr. Kaplan has worked on legislation to overturn key NLRB decisions and
delay and distort the union election process. He has provided no
assurance that he would recuse himself from issues pertaining to his
prior work that might lead to bias. Throughout his career, he has
pursued policies that would undermine worker protections. He should not
be appointed to a board that is charged with safeguarding them.
President Trump has repeatedly promised to put the American worker
first. The NLRB has a key role to ensure a fair deal for workers. It is
unfortunate that the President's nominees for the Board have not
demonstrated a commitment to that mission.
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