Dive Brief:
- Neil Gorsuch, Pres. Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, has criticized court rulings that favor federal government agencies' pro-labor stances, reports the Chicago Tribune.
- Gorsuch has been particularly critical of the National Labor Relations Board’s rulings supporting workers’ claims, says the Tribune. He also thinks class-action suits, mostly lodged against corporations, need reining in and that government agencies have too much power in deciding who’s violating the law.
- Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President, told the Tribune that Gorsuch has been "a very strong advocate for corporations at the expense of working people." Business groups, on the other hand, support his nomination, and favor limiting labor unions’ rights and curbing regulations.
Dive Insight:
Based on his pro-labor stands, Gorsuch likely would side with companies like Uber whose employment contracts require workers to settle disputes individually through arbitration. The NLRB says these contracts strip workers of their right to settle disputes through the courts; the conflict recently reached the Supreme Court.
SCOTUS is set to hear a case on mandatory arbitration clauses around April this year, and it is possible that Gorsuch could be confirmed by then.
Speculation is that Gorsuch, if confirmed, would be similar in thought to conservative justice Antonin Scalia, whose death last year opened a seat. His seat on the court could tip the 5-4 balance towards pro-business interests.