Senate HELP bumps Ring vote to Thursday

Senate HELP gets information from NLRB Ring, bumps vote to March 8

UAW and NLRB

National Labor Relations Board nominee John Ring gave the Senate HELP Committee a list of clients whom he’s represented since 2016, along with a second list of clients represented by his firm, Morgan Lewis, that are involved in NLRB cases, appeals or petitions.

Ring agreed, in a reply to written questions from ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), that for the next two years he “will not participate in any matter that comes before the board” if Morgan Lewis “represents, or represented, a party.” He also agreed to seek guidance from the NLRB’s ethics officer whenever a future proceeding might pose a potential conflict of interest.

Ring is being subjected to heightened scrutiny because in December, a previous Trump administration nominee, William Emanuel, participated in an important pro-business ruling, Hy-Brand, regarding which NLRB’s inspector general concluded Emanuel had a conflict of interest. In response, the NLRB vacated its Hy-Brand ruling.

Ring said he personally had no cases currently before the board or on appeal in which he represents a party. Among his clients since 2016, he said, were Amazon, Bechtel, Google, Marriott, Northrop Grumman, and pension and health care funds for the Teamsters, UNITE HERE, and the New York State Teamsters. “Note that this list includes entities for which reporting was not required by the 278e financial disclosure,” Ring wrote.

The list Ring furnished of Morgan Lewis clients involved in NLRB matters included Aramark, Boeing, Frontier Communications, Pacific Maritime Association, and Sysco, among others.

The Senate HELP Committee will vote on Ring’s nomination later today.

Update:  The Senate HELP Committee rescheduled until Thursday its vote on NLRB nominee John Ring.

The vote was previously scheduled for today, although no time or location was set.

In addition to Ring’s nomination, the committee will vote Thursday on Marco Rajkovich’s nomination to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.