May 29, 2012
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This afternoon, NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce and Members Brian Hayes, Richard Griffin and Sharon Block met with the agency’s staff to answer questions and deliver a message of common purpose in light of the recently-announced resignation of Member Terence F. Flynn.
In a joint statement, the four members acknowledged the difficulties of recent weeks, noted their united efforts to reach an acceptable resolution, and reflected on the mission of the agency. The statement continued:
“Recent events have created a distraction from this mission. Such distractions shall not tarnish this agency’s image – an image created from the good and honest work of its employees. These events also caused us to reflect on the extremely high value we as Board Members place on the deliberations we have with each other and, as importantly, the free and open exchange we have with you in considering cases. Hopefully, we can all come away from this difficult experience and the threat it posed to our deliberative process with a greater appreciation for that process.”
Board members will immediately resume deliberations and processing of cases. Cases that had been assigned to Member Flynn are being reassigned, as are members of his staff.
“We are moving quickly to put the distractions of recent weeks behind us and to return the focus to where it belongs – on the issues and cases that American workers bring to us every day,” said Chairman Pearce. “I would ask everyone with an interest in the law that we enforce to join us in that effort.”
