Rosemary Pye

Rosemary Pye, Regional Director, National Labor Relations Board Region I. since 1989. Ms. Pye received her B.A. from Wheaton College,cum laude; M.A.T. from Harvard University; and J.D. from Cornell Law School.

She is a past chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. She was also a co-chair of the MBA’s Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining Practice Group and Pro Bono co-chair. She is a past president of the Boston Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (formerly IRRA).

Rosemary has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council at Cornell Law School since 1990. In 2002, she received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service. In 2008, she received a Cornell Law School Exemplary Public Service Award. In 2009, she became a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Rosemary Pye Acceptance Speech Cushing-Gavin Award Dinner December 2, 2011

I recall with great admiration Father Ed Boyle, who led the Labor Guild for 37 years. Recall Father Ed’s astute words from his 2007 Labor Day mass:,/p>

The labor market climate continues to deteriorate; the gap between worker and manager, between rich and poor, threaten the very moral foundation of our society. Our economic system has lost its moral compass and needs to be redirected to serve the interests of all in society, not just those at the top of the economic ladder.

Father Ed’s commitment to social justice set the standard for all of us.

First, I salute the workers and witnesses in our cases. The joy of working at the NLRB is the power to affect the lives of these employees. From the time of my first investigation of a salesman fired for starting a union and my first trial in which four nurses were fired for complaints about new supervision, I was committed to the thrill of helping people help themselves and their coworkers. I continue to take strength from the example of their courage.

Second, I pay tribute to the Region 1 staff. I accept this award in their name. Many of you here already know that they have earned their reputation for dedication, talent, and fairness.

Working for the NLRB has unique rewards. We have the independence of a judge, the challenge of an investigator, and the exhilaration of a prosecutor. We see all sides of a labor dispute and let the chips fall where they may. As a specialized agency, we get the most challenging issues. Among them are our many potential injunction cases and some major decisions, such as the Boston Medical Center case in which the Board ultimately extended employee rights to 1000s of interns, residents, and fellows.

Region 1 is backed by many strong institutions in the Boston area. I seek the help of those institutions and you as individuals. The NLRB is under unfair attack based on good-faith decisions that are in the mainstream of the law. There are efforts to impede the confirmation of nominees to the Board, cut back on our remedial and election authority, and cut our budget. These attacks will not succeed with the Board in Washington or with the regions. This is the time for knowledgeable people to speak out. We all share a commitment to employee rights in the workplace and collective bargaining. I know you will support the Agency that protects those rights.