Mark Pearce has been elevated to chair of the National Labor Relations Board , replacing outgoing chair Wilma Liebman. Pearce worked for the NLRB for 15 years before going into private practice. In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Pearce to the NLRB. He was confirmed after some controversy over fellow nominee Craig Becker , who Pearce was nominated with simultaneously. Not a lot of information is readily available about Pearce. His bio from the NLRB website: Mark Gaston Pearce was a founding partner of the Buffalo, New York law firm of Creighton, Pearce, Johnsen & Giroux, where he practiced union side labor and employment law before state and federal courts and agencies. In 2008, he was appointed to the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals, an independent quasi-judicial agency responsible for review of certain rulings and compliance orders of the NY Department of Labor in matters including wage and hour law. Pearce has taught at Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations Extension, and is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Prior to 2002, Pearce practiced union side labor and employment law at Lipsitz, Green, Fahringer, Roll, Salisbury & Cambria LLP. From 1979 to 1994, he was an attorney and District Trial Specialist for the NLRB in Buffalo, NY. Pearce received his J.D. from State University of New York, and his B.A. from Cornell University. The National Right to Work Committee, a right-wing anti-union group, previously attacked Pearce by criticizing his art, suggesting he wasn’t dedicated to the job and trying to connect him to former clients who had legal troubles.
Mark Pearce Nominated as Chair of the National Labor Relations Board