Dear Senator:
On behalf of the 12.5 million members and 56 unions of the AFL-CIO, I strongly urge you to support the confirmation of David Prouty to serve as a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). During his career, Mr. Prouty has demonstrated a commitment to protecting workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and an understanding of the power of collective bargaining. His decades of experience as a litigator, advisor, and worker advocate will make him a valuable asset to the NLRB itself and workers the agency is meant to protect.
Mr. Prouty is superbly qualified to serve as a member of the NLRB - his career speaks for itself. His extensive practice before the NLRB provides him with a full understanding of the agency's processes, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it can best serve the purposes of the NLRA. Mr. Prouty’s time representing Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, UNITE HERE, and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), among others, gives him a unique understanding of the issues facing workers today in diverse industries and regions of the country -- from textile workers in the South, to professional baseball players across the country, to cleaners in office buildings along the East coast.
Mr. Prouty also brings a wealth of experience from the bargaining table. While working to improve the lives of employees through their unions, he has demonstrated an understanding of the value of collective bargaining and labor-management cooperation, particularly during the recent pandemic. Indeed, Mr. Prouty knows first-hand that earnest deliberation and compromise between employers and unions leads to improved outcomes for all parties. His work in that arena will allow him to approach cases before the NLRB with a comprehensive appreciation for the impact these decisions will have on workers, employers, and workplaces.
President Biden nominated Mr. Prouty because his experience representing workers and his expertise in labor-management relations makes him well-suited to carry out the NLRA’s stated purpose to “encourage the practice and procedure of collective bargaining.” The AFL-CIO supports Mr. Prouty’s confirmation because he will carry out the NLRB’s mission and ensure that workers’ protections and right to organize under the NLRA are realized.
For these reasons, the AFL-CIO urges you to vote in favor of Mr. Prouty to serve as a member of the National Labor Relations Board.
Sincerely,
William Samuel
Director, Government Affairs