Congress Blocks Labor Board Nominee

Labor lawyer Craig Becker’s nomination for a seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) came up eight votes short as a few Senate Democrats joined a unified Republican front to block a key Obama White House nomination.

The opposition to Becker’s seating on the NLRB also is tied into larger Republican opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act — a bill that would make it easier for employees to unionize and the progress of which has come to a standstill in the Senate in the face of GOP criticism.

“Mr. Becker’s previous statements strongly indicate that he would take an aggressive personal agenda to the NLRB and that he would pursue a personal agenda there, rather than that of the administration,” said Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE). “This is of great concern, considering that the board’s main responsibility is to resolve labor disputes with an even and impartial hand.”

Becker’s nomination was also contested by business groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, which lobbied actively against him.

The NLRB — which is supposed to have five members but has been staffed by only two — oversees issues pertaining to union elections and some labor disputes.