The Honorable Ron Johnson, Chairman
The Honorable Claire McCaskill, Ranking Member
Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member McCaskill:
The AFL-CIO urges you to oppose the nominations of Dennis Dean Kirk and Andrew Maunz to serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) when they come before your committee for a vote. At the same time, we urge you to support the nomination of Julia Clark to serve as a member of the MSPB.
Neither Kirk nor Maunz have the necessary experience in federal sector labor relations, or in labor and employment law more generally, to serve in these important positions. Conversely, having served as the General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority for over 8 years, Ms. Clark does have the requisite experience to become a member of the MSPB.
As a quasi-judicial agency, the Merit Systems Protection Board considers appeals from federal government employees who are the subject of adverse personnel actions. It is crucial that nominees to the MSPB have experience in labor management relations and personnel management. Measured against this standard, Kirk and Maunz should be rejected and Clark should be confirmed.
Thank you for consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely,
William Samuel, Director
Government Affairs Department