Dear Chairman Peters and Ranking Member Portman:
The AFL-CIO urges you to support the nominations of Ernest Dubester and Susan Grundman to be members of the Federal Labor Relations Board (FLRA) and Kurt Rumsfeld to serve as general counsel.
A fully functioning FLRA is necessary for the effective and efficient administration of federal labor-management relations. The FLRA facilitates the right of federal workers to form and join unions, bargain with agencies and resolve unfair labor practice complaints. A fully operational FLRA ensures that the workers providing the services relied on by the public and their unions have the protection of the law.
The past four years saw a limitation of the functions of the FLRA and decades of precedent ignored. Federal workers endured the imposition of contracts, unwarranted restrictions on union dues and official time, and rollbacks of collective bargaining rights. The general counsel vacancy resulted in hundreds of unfair labor practice complaints languishing without adjudication. These actions hampered the ability of many federal workers to perform their duties in service to the public.
The nominations of Ernest Dubester, Susan Grundman and Kurt Rumsfeld present a welcome return to the ability of the NLRA to provide stability and fairness in the conduct of federal labor relations. Nominated by four Presidents, Ernest Dubester has been confirmed by unanimous consent each time. He has served as an FLRA member since 2009 and served twice as Chair, most recently beginning in January 2021. Susan Grundman brings an extensive background in the representation of federal worker unions, serving as both a member and Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Kurt Rumsfeld previously served as Assistant General Counsel for Operations and Legal Policy and as Chief Counsel to Chair Dubester.
The combination of experience and commitment to the federal workforce and public service make each of these three nominees an asset to the mission of the FLRA. When confirmed, the three nominees will help to restore the FLRA to its original mission of promoting labor relations between federal workers and federal agencies. I urge you to vote in favor of the nominations of Ernest Dubester, Susan Grundman and Kurt Rumsfeld.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs