Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have switched from Democrats to independents in a move that is likely to have serious implications for labor rights in the impending second term of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Lawmakers on Wednesday blocked Democrat Lauren McFerran from running for a second term. National Labor Relations Board.
The fate of the woman who has led the agency since 2021 remains in doubt, as all Republican senators except Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall voted against President Joe Biden’s nomination of McFerran to a new five-year term. It was up to Mr. Manchin and Mr. Sinema. Faiz Shakeel, founder and executive director of Perfect Union, said on social media that their years-long fight to stop the former had “consistently undermined the story of what could have been.” It’s gone,” he said. party agenda.
Sinema took the lead, voting “no” to McFerran, resulting in a 49-49 tie for approval. Mr. Manchin, who emerged later, cast the decisive vote, ending speculation that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Senate leader who lost last month’s presidential election to Mr. Trump, would break the deadlock.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. This is a serious attack and is extremely worrying.” ).
Chris Jackson, a former Lawrence County, Tennessee Democratic Party committee member and longtime labor advocate, said Manchin and Sinema’s votes were “a devastating blow to labor policy.”
“A decisive vote against President Biden’s NLRB nominee guarantees that Democrats will lose control of the National Labor Relations Board until at least 2026,” Jackson said. “Their votes will effectively hand Donald Trump the keys to the board the moment he is re-elected. This is a betrayal of working families, a gift to corporate interests, and this is a second time. It’s natural for people.”
“Manchin and Sinema are responsible for destroying voting rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, child care, vision, and senior dental care,” Sarah Nelson, president of the Flight Attendants Association and CWA union, said on social media. “There is an economy built for the people,” two obstructionist senators said, “not a story.”
“Please don’t bury the lead,” Nelson begged. “The entire Republican Party has fought relentlessly for what is good for the majority of people in this country. Once again, the Republican Party has shown its utter contempt for its voters.”
“But they better be careful what they do when they carry out plans to make matters worse,” she warned. “These laws are primarily enacted to protect businesses, and removing the last bit of worker rights under the law will only cause further confusion and confusion.”
President Trump’s first term saw relentless attacks on workers’ rights. Critics say the second Trump administration, whose officials and policies are steeped in anti-worker Project 2025, has rolled back gains made under the Biden administration, weakened the right to organize, and increased workplace safety. They fear they will water down hygiene rules and strip overtime pay. Here are some items on the Republican wish list.
The latest votes by Mr. Manchin and Mr. Sinema, both of whom plan to leave Congress after this term, sparked widespread outrage among labor rights activists on social media, formerly known as Twitter. One of the accounts posted, “Mr. Manchin is a senior citizen and Mr. Sinema is a senior citizen.” She has a long and fruitful career ahead of her at a consulting firm that supports child slave labor, but at least they hurt the working class one last time. There’s nothing to do but pray for hell. ”