(BUFFALO) – With a Big Assist From U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Western New York Labor Has Been Successful in its Fight to Keep the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) Regional Office in Buffalo, it Was Announced Friday (November 7th).

Assisting in the New York State AFL-CIO-Led Campaign, the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) Had Initiated a Massive Effort Over the Summer to Get the NLRB to Turn Away a Proposal That Would Have Designated Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Over Buffalo as its Regional Office.

“On Behalf of the WNYALF, We Would Like to Express Our ‘Thanks’ to Senator Schumer for His Tireless Efforts to Maintain the NLRB Office in Buffalo,” WNYALF President Richard Lipsitz Told WNYLaborToday.com After the Announcement Was Publicly Made.

“This is a ‘Clear Sign’ That Buffalo is Seeing an Economic Renaissance and That the Labor Movement is Strong and Vibrant in This Region.  (Labor) Couldn’t be More Thrilled With This Announcement the NLRB Will Have Such a Continued Designation Here,” Lipsitz said.

Meanwhile, the NLRB Released the Following Statement:

The NLRB Approved a Plan to Restructure the Territorial Coverage for Regional Offices in Buffalo, New York (Region 3) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Region 6).  Under the Approved Plan, Regions 3 and 6 Will Retain Their Full Regional Status.  In Reaching This Decision, the Agency Evaluated Feedback From the Public, Members of Congress and NLRB Staff.  The Approved Plan Reflects the Agency’s Need to Balance its Practical Operational Concerns With the Need for the NLRB to Enter its 80th Year Servicing This Country as the Strong and Accessible Presence Envisioned When it Was Created. The Agency Determined That There Were a Number of Counties Which Were More Accessible to Regions 3 and 6 Than to the Regions to Which They are Currently Assigned.  Consistent With the Agency’s Ongoing Effort to Explore Ways to Enhance Efficiencies, Streamline its Operations and Rationalize the Size of Regions in a Manner That is Not Detrimental to the Public or NLRB Staff, the Agency Will Shift These Counties to Regions 3 and 6 While Maintaining Each as a Separate Regional Office.  A List of the Counties Affected is Available Here.  This Reconfiguration Furthers the Agency’s Mission to Provide the Best Possible Service to the Public.

The NLRB, Which Has a Long and Proud History of Enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, is Considering a Proposal to, is Chaired by Buffalo Native Mark Gaston Pearce.

As Part of the Labor-Led Campaign Effort, More Than 500 Phone Calls and Letters Were Sent to the NLRB’s National Office in Washington From Labor Leaders and Union Members From Across Buffalo, Western New York and New York State.

The Buffalo NLRB Office Employs 30, Lipsitz Told WNYLaborToday.com Over the Summer.  Those Workers are Expected to Man the NLRB’s Buffalo Operation, but its Regional Director Position Would Have Ceased to Exist if the Consolidation Had Gone Through With Pittsburgh Gaining a New Regional Designation. 

Starting in the Great Depression, and Continuing Through World War II and the Economic Growth and Challenges That Followed, the NLRB Has Worked to Guarantee the Rights of Employees to Bargain Collectively, if They Choose to Do So.  It’s Charged With Ensuring Workers Can Join Together to Improve Their Wages, Benefits and Treatment On the Job.  

But, the Proposal to Consolidate the Agency’s Buffalo Region Into the Pittsburgh Region Was Viewed as Inhibiting its Ability to Protect These Rights for Millions of Workers, the New York State AFL-CIO said.  Corporations are Already Going to Greater Lengths Than Ever to Prevent Workers From Exercising Their Collective Bargaining Rights and the Proposed Consolidation Would Only Embolden and Further Empower Them to Do So by Causing Delays in Investigations, Decisions, Enforcement and Elections, Labor Leadership Had Argued. 

A Centrally-Located NLRB Regional Office in Upstate New York Will Now Continue to Provide Workers With a Venue to Directly Register Complaints and to Hold Hearings in a Timely Manner Against Unlawful Employers Seeking to Silence Their Voice On the Job, Labor Leaders said.  

New York Workers Could Not Have Afforded to Have That Forum Undermined by What Labor Leaders Had Initially Described as a Shortsighted Consolidation Proposal.