Jennifer Abruzzo is general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. Appointed by President Joe Biden to the post on July 22, 2021, she is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of unfair labor practice cases. Abruzzo had previously worked for the NLRB for over two decades, including as Field Attorney, Supervisory Field Attorney, Deputy Regional Attorney, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Acting General Counsel. Immediately prior to her appointment, Abruzzo served as Special Counsel for Strategic Initiatives for the Communications Workers of America.
NLRB General Counsel Abruzzo, labor leaders plan to speak at Headliners panel, Oct. 15
National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer A. Abruzzo plans to join labor leaders on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. for a National Press Club Headliners panel to discuss union organizing in the United States.
If you wish to attend the event, registration is required.
Abruzzo expects to be joined by Brian Petruska, general counsel of the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition, and Jon Schleuss, international president of The NewsGuild-CWA.
The panel plans to discuss some of the legal challenges to the National Labor Relations Act of 1937 and the status of union membership today. A survey by Gallup published in August 2024 found that 70% of Americans approve of labor unions, yet just 10% of wage and salary workers, or 14.4 million workers, belonged to unions in 2023, down from 20% in 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To submit a question for the panelists, put LABOR in the subject line and email to [email protected]. The deadline for submitting questions in advance is 9 a.m. on the day of the event.
About the panelists:
Jennifer Abruzzo
Brian Petruska
Brian Petruska is the general counsel of the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition. He is a frequent presenter on panels at the Union Lawyers Alliance, the National Employment Lawyers Association, and the Peggy Browning Fund Conferences in relation to his work obtaining U-Visas for workers engaged in union organizing drives. His most recent academic article entitled, "Adding Joy Silk to Labor's Reform Agenda" was published in the Santa Clara Law Review in 2017 and has been widely credited for reviving interest in the doctrine.
Jon Schleuss
Jon Schleuss is the international president of The NewsGuild-CWA. A former reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Los Angeles Times, Schleuss was part of the group of workers who organized the first newsroom union at the Los Angeles Times in 2018. He was elected president of The NewsGuild in 2019. Since then, more than 7,500 workers from 180 workplaces have unionized with The NewsGuild-CWA.