Lauren McFerran
Chair of the National Labor Relations Board
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJohn F. Ring
Member of the National Labor Relations Board
Assumed office
July 29, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byVacant
In office
December 16, 2014 – December 16, 2019
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byNancy Schiffer
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
EducationRice University (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Lauren McFerran is an American lawyer and government official who is a member and chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. She is one of three Democrats currently serving on the board. Prior to serving on the board, she worked as a law clerk, in private practice, and as a labor lawyer for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP Committee).[1][2]

Biography

McFerran received her Bachelor of Arts from Rice University and her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.[1] From 2001 to 2002, McFerran served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King on the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.[1][2] From 2002 to 2005, she was an associate attorney at the law firm Bredhoff & Kaiser.[2] She then served in multiple roles as a staff member for the HELP Committee in the U.S. Senate, including as senior labor counsel for committee member Senators Ted Kennedy and Tom Harkin from 2005 to 2010, as chief labor counsel for the committee from 2010 to 2014, and as deputy staff director from 2012 to 2014.[1][2]

In November 2014, President Barack Obama nominated McFerran to the National Labor Relations Board to fill a seat previously held by Nancy F. Schiffer.[3] Obama had initially sought to appoint Sharon Block, who had served on the board under a recess appointment, but withdrew her nomination due to Republican opposition.[4] He nominated McFerran instead, who was confirmed and began her term on December 17, 2014.[1]

McFerran's initial term expired on December 16, 2019, after which no Democrats were left on the board.[5] After her term expired, the remaining Republican members on the board released a flurry of decisions favorable to management.[6][7] In March 2020, President Donald Trump announced that he would re-nominate both McFerran and Marvin Kaplan, whose term was due to expire in August 2020, to the board.[8] Both were confirmed, and McFerran began a second term on the board on July 29, 2020.[1]

On January 20, 2021, incoming president Joe Biden announced McFerran would be the new chairman of the board, replacing John F. Ring.[1][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g NLRB Office of Public Affairs (January 20, 2021). "President Appoints Lauren McFerran NLRB Chairman". National Labor Relations Board. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Office of the Press Secretary (November 12, 2014). "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". WhiteHouse.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. ^ Trottman, Melanie (November 13, 2014). "Obama Nominates Lauren McFerran to National Labor Relations Board". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Dovere, Edward-Isaac (November 12, 2014). "White House pulls controversial NLRB pick". POLITICO. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Wiessner, Daniel (December 16, 2019). "Term expires for Lauren McFerran, NLRB's lone Democrat". Reuters. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Telford, John L.; Reed, Rachael P. (December 26, 2019). "NLRB Issues a Flurry of Decisions, Revealing Several Anticipated Gifts for Employers Just in Time for the Holidays". Seyfarth Shaw. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Prescod, Paul (October 8, 2020). "Trump's Anti-Worker Labor Board". Labor Notes. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Payne, Thomas C. (March 5, 2020). "Trump Re-Nominates Two NLRB Members For New Terms | Lexology". Lexology. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Kullgren, Ian; Eidelson, Josh (January 20, 2021). "Biden Fires NLRB General Counsel After He Refuses to Resign". Bloomberg Law News. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
Political offices Preceded byNancy J. Schiffer Member of the National Labor Relations Board 2014-2019 Vacant Vacant Member of the National Labor Relations Board 2020-present Incumbent Preceded byJohn F. Ring Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board 2021-present Incumbent
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