America’s Largest Food and Retail Union with 1.3 Million Frontline Praised Wilcox’s Strong Advocacy to Hold Employers Accountable and Protect Worker Rights
As First Black Woman to Serve on NLRB, Wilcox Would Make History if Confirmed by Senate to Join the National Labor Board, Be Strong Voice for All American Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which represents over 1.3 million frontline food and retail workers, applauded President Joe Biden’s choice to nominate Gwynne Wilcox to serve on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). As the union for essential workers hit hard by COVID-19 in grocery stores and meatpacking plants, UFCW praised the selection of Wilcox for recognizing the urgent need to ensure the NLRB supports a level playing field for workers and ensures employers are held accountable for labor practices that weaken protections for workers and the communities they serve.
UFCW International President Marc Perrone released the following statement:
“President Biden’s choice of Gwynne Wilcox to serve on the NLRB sends a clear message that this White House is committed to creating a level playing field for American workers. As this pandemic continues, millions of grocery and meatpacking workers on the frontlines of COVID-19 are still facing daily health risks to ensure our families have the food we need. Essential workers across our economy need to know the NLRB is putting workers on even footing with employers, ensuring that workers get a fair shake and know that their rights are protected and they will be safe on the job.
“Gwynne Wilcox brings the strong experience, valuable perspective, and sound judgement needed to repair the damage done by the Trump-era NLRB and once more ensure that giant corporations are held accountable for the safety of their workers on the frontlines of this pandemic.
“As one of the country’s largest unions for essential workers, UFCW is calling on the Senate to ensure this highly-qualified NLRB nominee is quickly confirmed so that the labor board can continue its critical mission to uphold and strengthen the rights and protections of all American workers.”
BACKGROUND:
UFCW is a leading national voice for essential workers in grocery, retail, meatpacking, and many industries where employees have been hit hard by COVID-19. UFCW praised the choice by President Biden to nominate Gwynne Wilcox to the NLRB because of her strong background and unique perspective that will ensure worker rights and protections are given the same priority as employer interests.
Gwynne Wilcox would make history as the first Black woman to serve on the NLRB if confirmed by the Senate. Wilcox is a partner at the law firm Levy Ratner, P.C. in New York, where she has represented unions and individual employees for over 20 years. Before joining Levy Ratner, Ms. Wilcox worked as a field attorney at Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board in Manhattan. Wilcox serves as Assistant General Counsel of 1199SEIU and also represents several other unions before the NLRB and other administrative agencies and in arbitration, litigation, and contract negotiations.
Wilcox previously served as a member of the board of directors of the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee (now called the Union Lawyers Alliance) and is a graduate of Syracuse University and Rutgers School of Law-Newark.
###
UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States. UFCW International represents 1.3 million professionals and their families in healthcare, grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries. Our members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.