By <a class="c-link lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-color-brand-primary-dark:hover lrv-u-text-decoration-underline:hover lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/author/miles-klee/" > Miles Klee</a> <br> Sen. <a href="https://rollingstone.com/t/kyrsten-sinema" >Kyrsten Sinema</a> of Arizona and Sen. <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/joe-manchin/" >Joe Manchin</a> of West Virginia on Tuesday voted not to confirm President <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/joe-biden/" id="auto-tag_joe-biden" data-tag="joe-biden" >Joe Biden</a>‘s re-nomination of Lauren McFerran as member of the National Labor Relations Board. The nays from the pair of independents, who both <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/kyrsten-sinema-senate-reelection-1234981326/" >declined</a> to run for <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/joe-manchin-not-running-reelection-1234874217/" >reelection</a> in 2024, will block continued control of the labor regulator by Democrats — their former party, which they’ve still caucused with — and paves the way for President-elect <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/t/donald-trump/" >Donald Trump</a>‘s next administration to <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.epi.org/blog/three-ways-workers-rights-are-on-the-chopping-block-under-president-trump-judging-by-the-first-trump-administration-workers-and-unions-are-set-to-face-new-attacks-and-a-rollback-of-rights/" target="_blank" >strip worker rights</a> while pursuing an anti-union agenda.<br> McFerran is the current chair and one of three Democrats serving on the NLRB, which enforces labor law as a federal agency. Ordinarily, the board has five members, each nominated to a five-year term by the sitting president, but there are only four at the moment, including one Republican. Cutting McFerran’s tenure short allows the GOP to gain a three-member majority instead of preserving a Democratic advantage through 2026.<br> Sinema, who hadn’t cast a vote in the Senate since before Thanksgiving, apparently showed up <a rel="nofollow" href="https://x.com/jamiedupree/status/1866541358376423863?s=46" target="_blank" >specifically to side with Republicans</a> against McFerran’s appointment, with Manchin then arriving late to deliver the tie-breaking blow for a final tally of 49 in favor and 50 against. Had he not turned up, Vice President Kamala Harris would have presumably voted to keep McFerran on track for another term on the NLRB. Democrats in the chamber and independent Sen. <a href="https://rollingstone.com/t/bernie-sanders" >Bernie Sanders</a> had urged outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to do everything he could to ensure Democrats <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/10/schumer-nlrb-board-mcferran-vote-trump" target="_blank" >retained the balance of power</a> on the board. <div class="admz" id="adm-inline-article-ad-1"> <div class="adma boomerang" data-device="Desktop" data-width="300"> <div style="min-width:50px;min-height:75px;" class="pmc-adm-boomerang-pub-div ad-text" data-priority="10" > <div id="gpt-dsk-tab-article-inbody-uid0" class="adw-300 adh-250" data-is-adhesion-ad=""> <script type="application/javascript">
blogherads.adq.push(function () {
blogherads
.defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-dsk-tab-article-inbody-uid0' )
.setTargeting( 'pos', ["mid-article","mid","in-article1","mid-article1","inbody","inbody1"] )
.setTargeting( ‘viewable’, ‘yes’ )
.setSubAdUnitPath(“politics/article/inbody1”)
.addSize([[300,250],[620,350],[2,2],[3,3],[2,4],[4,2],[640,250],[6,6],[620,366]])
.setClsOptimization(“minsize”)
;
});
