The federal labor board’s top prosecutor has issued new guidelines for use of evidence and witness testimony when the agency investigates alleged labor violations in the private sector that’s causing alarm among some staffers, who believe the board is curtailing its powers and limiting the role of its in-house ethics officials.
The changes are likely to revive criticism from Democrats, labor organizations, and some agency staffers that the NLRB has taken a pro-business stance under Trump. The NLRB oversees elections to form or disband a union and prosecutes unfair labor practice charges against companies and unions. Republicans and the business community generally have defended the board’s actions during the Trump administration, saying the moves have restored a balance between the interests of labor and management.