Cutting the NLRB Won’t Fix Its Biggest Problem
A rare legal-related post from Chad…
When I was in law school in the late 1990s, I had the privilege of clerking for NLRB Region 12. It was an incredible opportunity—one that gave me a unique skill set and helped launch my career after graduation. I worked with dedicated civil servants who lived and breathed the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), ensuring its enforcement with a level of precision and commitment that was admirable.
Even then, though, I wondered about the agency’s future. Was the NLRB still relevant in an economy increasingly dominated by gig work, automation, and fractured employment relationships? Fast-forward to today, when a lot has changed, and the answer is clear—yes. The surge in union organizing efforts at Amazon, Starbucks, and beyond proves that the workplace power dynamic is still very much a battleground, and the NLRB plays a critical role in refereeing that fight.
But here’s where my perspective gets complicated.
While the mission of the NLRB (and the EEOC, for that matter) is essential, my experience showed me something else, too: the pace of work was painfully slow. Almost wasteful. In the private sector—particularly in an entrepreneurial setting—this level of inefficiency wouldn’t just be unacceptable; it would be unthinkable.
So when I see the current administration moving to cut these agencies, I feel torn. I understand the waste argument. I get the frustration with bureaucracy. But I also know that the people in these agencies don’t believe they are slow or inefficient—because they’ve never been held to a different standard. This isn’t a case of laziness or bad intent. It’s a leadership problem.
I’m not sure whether the solution is to gut these agencies entirely (which has yet to be proposed). But I do know that, ultimately, the solution should be to demand better leadership and real accountability from them. If they’re going to remain relevant and effective, they can’t operate like relics of a bygone era. How you get to that solution is really hard and requires a LOT of effort. It’s a culture change. It’s being clear with expectations, realistic about ability, and productively direct with feedback or praise.
Let’s hope that this moment creates an opportunity for real alignment between enforcement and effort.
Trump’s EEOC and NLRB Firings Will Likely Prevail in Court
This is an important read to understand the relationship between the executive branch and administrative agencies – particularly those that will impact the workplace.
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Culture Edit Podcast
Ep. 077 – Super Bowl Takes and Anemia’s Impact on Mental Health
In this week’s one-on-one, Nikki and Chad break down the Super Bowl winners and losers: Bill Belichick, sloth Amazon drivers, the Doritos competition you probably didn’t know about, Poppi advertising through the litigation, and how Seal creeped people out. They break down the NFL’s offensive anti-Chad + Brad campaign, how many brands have forgotten about the “call to action,” Kendrick Lamar’s mumble strategy, bootcut jeans, and how Jay-Z chooses the halftime artist. Most importantly, they chat through the feedback from last week’s episode on anemia for women athletes, the frustration of doctors not listening, continuing to advocate for yourself, and the impact of anemia on mental health, depression, and anxiety. There’s also an update on uGg’s.
Spotify or anywhere you get your podcasts.