President Obama has appointed three new members to the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) increasing the power of labor unions in the country. This is in addition to the recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head yet another new government agency: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Although some Republican “leaders” have voiced their displeasure at what they consider to be a power grab, it is just another feeble attempt to override our nation’s dictatorship. Mr. Obama has effectively made both the Congress and the Supreme Court impotent branches of the republic. Once the victories started piling up and the only resistance was TEA Party rallies that were marginalized by both parties, the floodgates opened and the balance of power was flushed down the drain.
There is even open discussions in the halls of Congress that Obama may not leave if he is not re-elected. Any congressman who is cowering in fear at this prospect without standing up for liberty needs to read a little history to understand what happens when tyrants are appeased. What price do you put on freedom?
David DeGerolamo
Obama bypasses Senate to fill labor board posts
President Barack Obama recess-appointed three members to the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, bypassing fierce opposition from Republicans who claim the agency has leaned too far in favor of unions.
The appointments came just hours after Obama used a similar move to install former Ohio Atty. Gen. Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Both moves infuriated GOP leaders, who threatened legal action and warned that Obama was setting a dangerous precedent by ignoring the will of Congress. Union leaders praised the decision, saying it was a legitimate response to Republican gridlock.
Obama appointed Deputy Labor Secretary Sharon Block, union lawyer Richard Griffin and NLRB counsel Terence Flynn to fill vacancies on the five-member board, giving it a full contingent for the first time in more than a year. Block and Griffin are Democrats, while Flynn is a Republican.
The board, which referees labor-management disputes and oversees union elections, has been a prime target for Republicans and business groups since it filed a controversial lawsuit last year that accused Boeing of illegally retaliating against union members.
That case was dismissed last month after Boeing and the union settled their differences. But Republicans are still incensed over the board’s approval last month of sweeping new rules to speed up the union election process, making it easier for unions to gain new members.
Obama’s action prevents the board from losing much of its power for the rest of the year. The NLRB is supposed to have five members, but it has operated for months with only three. This week, it is down to just two members, after Democrat Craig Becker completed his term. The agency is not allowed to conduct regular business with only two members.
Senate Republicans, hoping to effectively shut the agency down, had vowed to block any more appointees to prevent any further key decisions affecting labor relations. Last month, all 47 Senate Republicans sent Obama a letter warning that bypassing the Senate would set a dangerous precedent.