NLRB Nominations May Be Blocked By GOP, Rendering Labor Board Inoperable

Dave Jamieson

Politico, published 5/14/13

WASHINGTON -- With the Senate about to consider President Obama's nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, Democrats and labor groups are growing concerned that Republicans will block the administration's left-leaning nominations, rendering the board inoperable once a current member's term expires in August.

The five-member board, which is tasked with enforcing labor law and settling disputes between companies and workers, must have a quorum of at least three members in order to issue decisions. It currently has the bare minimum -- and only because of the president's recess appointments to the board, which have been jeopardized by an unfavorable appeals court decision, known as Noel Canning, that deemed them unconstitutional in January.

With Obama's nominees now requiring confirmation, union leaders worry that some Republicans will see their wish of a non-functioning board come true, leaving labor disputes tied up indefinitely.

"This is not what democracy looks like," said Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America union. "These cases are not about unions. They're about working people. ... The bottom line is that for 80 million private-sector workers, this is the only agency that protects their rights."