WASHINGTON — The first Black woman to chair the National Labor Relations Board returned to the agency Monday with a hero’s welcome after a judge ruled last week she was illegally fired.

Dozens of staff members cheered, clapped and waved signs that said “Welcome back Gwynne” as Wilcox returned to the independent federal agency charged with protecting employee rights.

What You Need To Know

  • National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox returned to the agency Monday

  • President Donald Trump had fired her Jan. 27

  • A federal judge last Thursday ruled the president acted illegally

  • The NLRB is a 90-year-old independent federal agency that helps resolve unfair labor practices disputes

“I’m so happy to be here,” Wynne said as she approached NLRB headquarters in Washington, D.C., six weeks after President Donald Trump fired her. “It’s so important that we are able to be back together because we’re so dedicated to the work that we do that impacts everyone in this country.”

Last Thursday, a federal judge ruled the president acted illegally in ousting Wilcox, saying in her order, “An American president is not a king.”

According to the National Labor Relations Act, board members can only be removed “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, but for no other cause.” 

Congress created the NLRB as an independent federal agency in 1935 to enforce the National Labor Relations Act and to resolve unfair labor practice disputes. 

Wilcox has been a member of its board since 2021 — the same year she was given an American Bar Association award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the legal profession for demonstrating leadership. She was confirmed by the Senate in September 2023 for a second term slated to end in 2028. Former President Joe Biden named her chair in December.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order “ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing,” following it up one day later with another executive order “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity.”

Because of two existing vacancies on the board at the time Wilcox was fired, the NLRB was not able to conduct its business. To adjudicate cases, the board requires three of its five members to issue decisions.

Wilcox was reinstated as a board member but not as chair. On Jan. 20, President Trump named Marvin E. Kaplan to lead the NLRB.

“This moment is about standing up for workers,” Congressional Labor Caucus Co-Chair and Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said Monday. “The courts have upheld the rights of this independent agency, and we’re pleased to welcome our board member back.”