January 20, 2021 - Bloomberg Law was one of the first to report the firing of NLRB General Counsel Peter Robb after he refused a request by President Joe Biden to resign.
The NLRB General Counsel is intended to be an independent position rather than a political position. The National Labor Relations Act holds the persons appointed to that position are to serve four year terms with consent of the U.S. Senate, according to former NLRB General Counsel Jerry M. Hunter, partner at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.
"He has no obligation to resign, and I don't know what the procedure is [to fire him] since it's never been done before," said Hunter. Hunter served under President George H.W. Bush and his term extended into the administration of President Bill Clinton. Jerry Hunter currently also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Associated Industries of Missouri.
Press reports indicate the firing is the first since President Harry Truman asked Robert Denham to resign in 1950.
The General Counsel helps shape federal labor policy as they advise the five-member National Labor Relations Board and make decisions regarding which labor disputes to prosecute.
President Biden also named Democratic member of the Board Lauren McFerran Chairperson of the Board, despite the fact that Republicans still outnumber Democrats 3-1, with one open Democrat seat currently vacant.
Read more here at Bloomberg Law: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/biden-moves-to-oust-top-labor-board-attorney-robb
And here at Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/20/trump-labor-board-460978