John H. Fanning
Encyclopedia
John Harold Fanning was an American
lawyer
and member of the National Labor Relations Board
for a record 25 years (from 1957 to 1982). He was the Board's Chair from 1977 to 1981.
, and graduated from Norwich Free Academy
. During his summer vacations, he worked in a textile mill. He earned a bachelor's degree
from Providence College
in 1938, and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law
at Catholic University of America in 1941.
in 1942 as a staff attorney. In 1943, he joined the Department of War
, where he served as Chief of the Domestic Labor Standards Section of the Industrial Personnel Division of the Army Service Forces. He was appointed Chief of the Industrial Relations Branch of the Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Army in 1945. He was named special assistant to the Judge Advocate General of the Army for procurement in 1948; Director of the Office of Industrial Relations at the Department of Defense (DOD) in 1951; and Director of the DOD Office of Domestic Programs in 1955.
On December 20, 1957, President
Dwight Eisenhower appointed Fanning as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB). At the time he joined the NLRB, the Board and its regional directors were handling about 16,000 cases a year. In a testament to his professionalism and bipartisanship, he was reappointed by Presidents Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy
, Lyndon B. Johnson
, Richard Nixon
, and Jimmy Carter
. He was widely known for being exceptionally knowledgeable about Board rulings, but was also a frequent dissenter on the Board and known for being favorable to labor unions
. Fanning did not deny this bias, noting in 1977, "I'm convinced that if a company has a union in its plant, the union was pretty much invited in by the actions of the company. People don't pay union dues if they are entirely happy. Many employers are now recognizing that if you are not greedy, you can keep a union out of your plant if you really want to. All you have to do is pay the prevailing wages or a little more." His reappointment to the NLRB by President Nixon in 1972 for a fourth five-year term set a record at the time.
Fanning was appointed Chair of the NLRB by President Jimmy Carter in April 1977. At the time he was sworn in, he had participated in more than 20,000 decisions. The Board's workload, however, had dropped to about just 1,000 cases a year. Under Fanning's leadership, the NLRB adopted a "vote and impound" procedure so that union organizing elections could be held as scheduled despite objections raised by unions or employers (a procedure which significantly sped up the election process). He supported proposed labor law reforms in 1977, but did not think they would matter much in terms of union organizing. "Nothing that the Board does and nothing that is in the law starts or stops a tide of unionization in a particular industry. Organizing always seems to have a momentum of its own." He also instituted administrative reforms within the agency, establishing regional offices for the Board's extensive administrative law judge
division rather than keeping them in Washington, D.C.
William A. Lubbers served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the NLRB under Fanning. When Lubbers was nominated in late 1979 to be the General Counsel, his nomination was filibuster
ed by Republican
Senators
who felt that he was too close to the pro-labor Fanning.
Fanning stepped down as NLRB Chairman on August 14, 1981. He retired from the NLRB on December 16, 1982. During his 25 years with the labor board, he took part in more than 25,000 decisions.
. He joined the Providence, Rhode Island
, law firm of Hinckley, Allen, Snyder & Comen, and worked part-time as counsel to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
. He also was appointed a member of the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board. The year he retired, however, his wife of 40 years, Eloise Cooney Fanning, died.
Fanning established the John H. Fanning Chair in Labor Relations at the CUA Columbus School of Law, the John H. Fanning Conference on Labor-Management Relations at Providence College, and the John H. and Eloise M. Fanning Memorial Scholarship at Providence College.
John H. Fanning died from kidney failure
at Georgetown University Hospital
on July 21, 1990. His daughters Mary Ellen Dunn, Ann Gallagher, and Gaele DeGross and his sons John Michael Fanning and Stephen Thomas Fanning survived him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and member of the National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
for a record 25 years (from 1957 to 1982). He was the Board's Chair from 1977 to 1981.
Early life
John Harold Fanning was born in Putnam, ConnecticutPutnam, Connecticut
Putnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,002 as of the 2000 census. It is home to WINY, an AM radio station.-History:...
, and graduated from Norwich Free Academy
Norwich Free Academy
The Norwich Free Academy founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a high school located in the city of Norwich, Connecticut. The Academy serves as the primary high school for Norwich and the surrounding towns of Canterbury, Bozrah, Voluntown, Sprague, Lisbon, Franklin, Preston andseveral...
. During his summer vacations, he worked in a textile mill. He earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
in 1938, and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law
Columbus School of Law
The Columbus School of Law, also known as CUA Law, is the law school of The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C..Over 900 Juris Doctor students attend CUA Law. Incoming classes are typically composed of two to three hundred students, including day and night programs. Around 3,500...
at Catholic University of America in 1941.
Career
Fanning joined the United States Department of LaborUnited States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
in 1942 as a staff attorney. In 1943, he joined the Department of War
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, where he served as Chief of the Domestic Labor Standards Section of the Industrial Personnel Division of the Army Service Forces. He was appointed Chief of the Industrial Relations Branch of the Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Army in 1945. He was named special assistant to the Judge Advocate General of the Army for procurement in 1948; Director of the Office of Industrial Relations at the Department of Defense (DOD) in 1951; and Director of the DOD Office of Domestic Programs in 1955.
On December 20, 1957, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Dwight Eisenhower appointed Fanning as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
(NLRB). At the time he joined the NLRB, the Board and its regional directors were handling about 16,000 cases a year. In a testament to his professionalism and bipartisanship, he was reappointed by Presidents Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, and Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
. He was widely known for being exceptionally knowledgeable about Board rulings, but was also a frequent dissenter on the Board and known for being favorable to labor unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. Fanning did not deny this bias, noting in 1977, "I'm convinced that if a company has a union in its plant, the union was pretty much invited in by the actions of the company. People don't pay union dues if they are entirely happy. Many employers are now recognizing that if you are not greedy, you can keep a union out of your plant if you really want to. All you have to do is pay the prevailing wages or a little more." His reappointment to the NLRB by President Nixon in 1972 for a fourth five-year term set a record at the time.
Fanning was appointed Chair of the NLRB by President Jimmy Carter in April 1977. At the time he was sworn in, he had participated in more than 20,000 decisions. The Board's workload, however, had dropped to about just 1,000 cases a year. Under Fanning's leadership, the NLRB adopted a "vote and impound" procedure so that union organizing elections could be held as scheduled despite objections raised by unions or employers (a procedure which significantly sped up the election process). He supported proposed labor law reforms in 1977, but did not think they would matter much in terms of union organizing. "Nothing that the Board does and nothing that is in the law starts or stops a tide of unionization in a particular industry. Organizing always seems to have a momentum of its own." He also instituted administrative reforms within the agency, establishing regional offices for the Board's extensive administrative law judge
Administrative law judge
An administrative law judge in the United States is an official who presides at an administrative trial-type hearing to resolve a dispute between a government agency and someone affected by a decision of that agency. The ALJ is usually the initial trier of fact and decision maker...
division rather than keeping them in Washington, D.C.
William A. Lubbers served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the NLRB under Fanning. When Lubbers was nominated in late 1979 to be the General Counsel, his nomination was filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
ed by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
who felt that he was too close to the pro-labor Fanning.
Fanning stepped down as NLRB Chairman on August 14, 1981. He retired from the NLRB on December 16, 1982. During his 25 years with the labor board, he took part in more than 25,000 decisions.
Retirement and death
After his retirement from the NLRB, Fanning lived in Bethesda, MarylandBethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. He joined the Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, law firm of Hinckley, Allen, Snyder & Comen, and worked part-time as counsel to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is a labor union which represents workers in the electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Panama and several Caribbean island nations; particularly electricians, or Inside Wiremen, in the construction industry and linemen and other...
. He also was appointed a member of the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board. The year he retired, however, his wife of 40 years, Eloise Cooney Fanning, died.
Fanning established the John H. Fanning Chair in Labor Relations at the CUA Columbus School of Law, the John H. Fanning Conference on Labor-Management Relations at Providence College, and the John H. and Eloise M. Fanning Memorial Scholarship at Providence College.
John H. Fanning died from kidney failure
Renal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
at Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University Hospital
Georgetown University Hospital is one of the national capital area's oldest academic teaching hospitals and is affiliated with Georgetown University School of Medicine. GUH is a not-for-profit, acute-care teaching and research facility located in Northwest Washington, DC...
on July 21, 1990. His daughters Mary Ellen Dunn, Ann Gallagher, and Gaele DeGross and his sons John Michael Fanning and Stephen Thomas Fanning survived him.