SCHUMER, IN PERSONAL CALL WITH HEAD OF NLRB, URGES HIM TO KEEP CRITICAL LABOR RELATIONS REGIONAL OFFICE BASED IN BUFFALO – SENATOR PUSHES TO ENSURE UPSTATE NY WORKERS & BUSINESSES DO NOT LOSE IMPORTANT ACCESS TO CENTRALLY-LOCATED WNY REGIONAL OFFICE; POTENTIAL MOVE TO PITTSBURGH WOULD LEAD TO DELAYS IN LABOR ELECTIONS & INVESTIGATIONS
Schumer Placed A Personal Phone Call To NLRB Chairman Mark Pearce, Urging
Him To Keep Critical Services Based in Buffalo – NLRB Currently
Considering Consolidating Buffalo and Pittsburgh Regional Offices, Which
Would Result in Critical Services Moving to Pittsburgh
Buffalo Regional Office Covers All of Upstate NY & Moving Services
to Pittsburgh Could Lead to Case Load Backups, Delays In Investigations,
Union Elections & Rulings; Would Severely Inconvenience Labor &
Business in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, S. Tier
Schumer: NLRB Regional Office Should Remain in Buffalo & Chairman,
A WNY Native, Understands This
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer placed a personal phone call to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Chairman Mark Pearce urging him to reconsider NLRB’s proposed consolidation of its Buffalo and Pittsburgh Regional offices, which would downgrade the Buffalo Regional Office to a Sub-Regional Office and move some services, including direct access to the Regional Director, solely to the Pittsburgh Regional Office. Schumer told Pearce that NLRB’s Regional Office should remain in Buffalo and continue to provide the same level of services as it does now, if not more. Schumer also wrote a letter to Pearce last month when word of this plan first came to light.
The proposed consolidation would make the Pittsburgh Regional Office the primary office for Western Pennsylvania, a portion of West Virginia, as well as Upstate New York. Currently, the Buffalo Regional office is the primary regional office for the entire State of New York, with the exception of the New York City Metropolitan area. Schumer said that this consolidation would lead to delays in investigations, decisions, enforcement and elections; would likely diminish the resources available to labor and management in New York State; and would make it difficult for workers and businesses to participate in hearings due to it now requiring out-of-state travel. Having direct, in-person access to a Regional Director is critically important for labor and management across the state, particularly during emergency situations. For example, when an injunction is needed, it is the Regional Director that files the injunction and attorneys on both sides of any labor dispute would be likely to want to argue their case in person. Having a Regional Director based solely out of the Pittsburgh office would make it harder for unions and employers to gain access to the Regional Director both due to distance and due to the increasing caseload that would occur as a result of the consolidation.
“In my call with Chairman Pearce, I made it clear how important it is for the NLRB Regional Office to remain in Buffalo and not move to Pittsburgh,” said Schumer. “This Regional Office plays a crucial role in resolving labor disputes across the state and helps the regional economy run smoothly. It is critical that we keep this resource where it belongs, in Western New York. In the weeks and months ahead, I will continue to push the Chairman to keep the Regional Office right where it is, so that we are not inconveniencing workers and businesses all across the state and creating major case-load backups.”
NLRB Regional Offices conduct elections, investigate charges of unfair labor practices, and protect the rights of workers to act together. They are a critical resource for workers and businesses across the country. This potential consolidation, however, threatens to weaken the Buffalo Office and make it more difficult for labor and management across the state to get access to the tools and resources they need.
Due to the recent departure of the Pittsburgh Regional Director, the NLRB did a review of its needs and concluded that the next step it should take is to consolidate the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Regional Offices. Schumer, however, cited a number of different factors as to why this would hurt New York State, and is urging NLRB to abandon its plan.
Schumer argued that it does not make sense to shift responsibility to the Pittsburgh Office, especially during this time of flux, when Buffalo already has in place experienced management, including a Regional Director and Regional Attorney. In addition, Schumer noted, locating the Regional Office in Pittsburgh would place it at the extreme end of the area it covers, inconveniencing staff, as well as the labor and management representatives that come to the NLRB to resolve disputes.
Schumer also noted that the area currently served by the Buffalo Regional Office Region is incredibly spread out – the territory includes Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton, Poughkeepsie, Utica, Ithaca, Watertown, Cortland, Corning, Massena, Plattsburgh, Olean, Jamestown, and Dunkirk – and moving operations to Pittsburgh would make the region even more dispersed. According to Schumer, preserving the Regional Office in Buffalo would be more efficient, from both a time and cost perspective, to service all population centers.
Lastly, Schumer argued that there is a greater need for Buffalo to be a Regional Office location than Pittsburgh due to the fact that there are more union-represented private employees in Western New York – approximately 14.5 percent of the private sector employees in the Buffalo area, for example, are union represented and in need of these kinds of services, while only 7.5 percent of private sector employees in the Pittsburgh area are union represented.
A copy of Senator Schumer’s original letter to NLRB Chairman Pearce appears below:
Dear Chairman Gaston Pearce,
I write you today to urge the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to reconsider its decision to consolidate the Buffalo Regional NLRB Office with Pittsburgh’s, and to demote the Buffalo office to a sub-regional office. This is a step toward weakening the office that is charged with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices throughout most of New York State. This consolidation is particularly concerning as it would mean that in emergency situations it would be significantly harder to find solutions to union problems. The Buffalo NLRB serves many areas across New York State including Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton, Poughkeepsie, Utica, Ithaca, Watertown, Cortland, Corning, Massena, Plattsburg, Olean, Jamestown, and Dunkirk.
As you know, the regional offices have the authority to conduct elections for labor union representation. Western New York has a greater proportion of union represented employees than Pittsburgh. For example, 14.5% of the private sector employees in the Buffalo area are union represented, while in Pittsburgh only 7.5% of the private sector employees are union represented. I urge the NLRB to maintain the status of Buffalo as a regional office, ensuring that key leadership stays in New York State. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and I look forward to working with you to quickly resolve this situation.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator