The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has confirmed Republican John Ring to the National Labor Relations Board by a 12-11 vote. The next step is a vote by the full Senate.

The Board is currently composed of two Democratic and two Republican appointees. If Ring is confirmed by the full Senate, the NLRB will have a 3-2 Republican majority until 2020.

Ring, a management-labor lawyer since 1998, would replace former NLRB Chairman Philip Miscimarra, whose term ended in December 2017.

Some of the HELP Committee’s questions to Ring were on potential conflicts of interest if he is confirmed. In response, Ring said that he “will not participate in any matter that comes before the Board” if his current firm (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius) “represents or represented, a party.”

While questions about potential conflicts of interest are standard in the confirmation process, an actual conflict noted by the Board’s Inspector General prompted the NLRB to reverse and vacate its latest joint employer decision. For details, see our post, NLRB Vacates Hy-Brand Joint Employer Decision Following Inspector General Report.

We will continue to monitor and report on important NLRB developments.