Obama appointment to labor board sparks opposition from...guess who?

[babylonsister]

Obama appointment to labor board sparks opposition
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 27, 2010 11:13 p.m. EDT


(CNN) -- One of President Obama's Saturday recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board quickly triggered intense opposition from business groups and Republicans, who called the appointee a radical who represents a White House gift to labor unions.

The fury is aimed at Obama's appointment of Craig Becker -- a labor lawyer -- to the NLRB, the federal agency that oversees relations between unions and employers.

snip//

The Republican National Committee sent out a memo Saturday titled "Union Bosses' Bailout Begins -- Recess Appointment Of Becker Payback From Obama To His Union Paymasters, With More Job-Killing Bailouts To Come."

Becker is currently a general counsel for the Service Employees International Union and for the AFL-CIO. He has taught at the law schools of the University of Chicago and Georgetown University, among other places.

Business groups and Republicans say that Becker has voiced support for skirting Congress to enact so-called card-check legislation regarding labor unions. They say that he has proposed that the bill be enforced through federal regulators such as the NLRB.

The card-check bill -- officially called the Employee Free Choice Act -- would allow employees at a workplace to join a union if a majority signed cards. Opponents say the system is undemocratic because it discourages secret ballot elections.

On Thursday, all 41 Republican senators signed a letter urging Obama not to appoint Becker, saying it would "bypass the advice and consent traditions of the Senate."

more...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/27/obama.appointment.controversy/

[FrenchieCat]

1. 41 Senators signed a letter? How many Republican Senators do we have in the Senate?

Why is CNN even writing about this garbage?
We know that 41 Senators opposed everything and anything
this President has tried to do. What's new? :shrug:

[HughMoran]

2. haha

[jillan]

3. It's not very healthy to go thru life being angry all the time.

They better be careful they don't get themselves sick and have to use their communist healthcare.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. I guess *gifts* to "special interest groups" are only appropriate for Republicans, right?

:eyes: We won the last election and we should be able to get OUR people into government (unless there is credible evidence of clearly improper behavior) and they didn't even bother allowing an up-or-down vote on the guy. I say f**k them! GOBAMA!!!!

[tishaLA]

5. So, after Becker finishes his recess appointment term, there's not chance of confirmation

I'm guessing. When does it run out? In January when the new Congress is sworn in?

[boppers]

7. From the US Constitution:

"The President shall have power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session."

So, it lasts until the next session *ends*. More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recess_appointment

[Webster Green]

6. Hasn't the president told them to sit down and STFU?

If not, he needs to do that asap.

[spoony]

8. Nice appointment!

I didn't know much about Becker before reading this, but I'm excited by the level of agitation this is causing in anti-labour circles :)

[damonm]

9. Add recess appointments...

...to the IOOKIYAR (It's Only OK If You're A Republican) rule, along with "deem and pass", reconciliation, deficit spending, addressing schoolkids, marital infidelity, etc, ad infinitum.

[Bitwit1234]

10. I wish a CNN reporter had balls. And would ask one of those

filthy butt republicans, what's the difference in bush appointing all those he did during these recess and OUR President doing the same thing. Bet they don't have the guts to face a republican. The CNN staff is so scared to ask a tough question they would mess right on screen.

[DearAbby]

11. It's gonna be a long

7 Years for these people, with nothing to do but say "Hell no you can't"
You really should pace yourselves.

Take my advise, Mamma knows best. ::wink::

[hollowdweller]

12. Someone tell me why

Is it OK for them to appoint people out of industry to positions but anybody like an enviromenatalist or labor person is a no go?

[Jennicut]

13. There Dems go again using their majority. How come Bush could do that and did not need to poll

every decision nor give in to the minority party at all times? Oh yeah, he was a Republican.

Screw the party of hell no.

[GentryDixon]

16. And the lock step MSM.

[flpoljunkie]

14. Republicans unfailingly stand with the special interests--particularly big corporations.

This is who they are and what they do. They manipulate the bigoted and uninformed to support them against their own best interests. Quite a feat, but not so hard if you have no integrity.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. Here's another tradition of the Senate....

Shut your friggin' pie hole! You LOST last November.

[wishlist]

17. Wonderful news after years of anti-labor, pro-management Repubs on board

I served as a union steward for many years and was dismayed with the increasingly anti-union decisions being handed down by the right leaning NLRB in the past ten years, so this is great news to organized workers.

[high density]

18. The Republicans know all about killing jobs

They've been endorsing policies that do so for decades.

[tammywammy]

19. Then the senate should have held an up or down vote n/t