Trump Appoints Former Management Attorneys at EEOC and NLRB
On January 25, 2017, it was announced that President Trump has appointed Victoria Lipnic as Acting Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Ms. Lipnic first became a commissioner at the EEOC in March 2010, when she received a recess appointment from President Obama. In 2015, she was nominated and confirmed for a second term, which is set to expire in July 2020. Prior to joining the EEOC, Ms. Lipnic was an Assistant Secretary of Labor for the U.S. Department of Labor from 2002 until 2009, at which time she joined the labor and employment department at a large national firm that primarily represents employers.
President Trump also appointed another former management attorney, Philip A. Miscimarra, as Acting Chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Prior to becoming a NLRB Board Member in 2013, Mr. Miscimarra worked at several private firms that focus their labor and employment practices on the representation of management.
These two appointments are expected to bring more balance to the approach of their respective agencies with regard to efforts to enforce various labor and employment laws.