Ernest DuBester was designated chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority by President Biden, on January 21. He has been a member of the FLRA since the Obama Administration and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to all three of his terms. DuBester has served as an FLRA Member since August 2009. He also served as FLRA Chairman from January to November of 2013 and for a second time in January of 2017.
DuBester was previously nominated by President Clinton and served as chairman and member of the National Mediation Board (NMB) from 1993 to 2001. Subsequently, he served as a staff mediator with the NMB.
DuBester has over 45 years of experience in labor-management relations. He began his career at the National Labor Relations Board, serving as counsel to former Chairman John Fanning. He also served as a union attorney with the firm of Highsaw & Mahoney, and as legislative counsel to the AFL-CIO. He taught collective bargaining and arbitration at the Catholic University of America School of Law.
In addition, DuBester served as professor and director of the Dispute Resolution Program at George Mason University School of Law (now Antonin Scalia Law School). During his time at the school, he worked as an arbitrator and mediator of labor and employment matters, working on many federal-sector cases.
DuBester received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, his law degree from the Catholic University of America School of Law, where he was recent developments editor of the Law Review, and received his Masters in Labor Law from the Georgetown University Law Center. ■
