Craig Becker’s Nomination to the NLRB Defeated in Senate
February 10, 2010
By: Jennifer A. Dunn
On February 9, 2010, the U.S. Senate blocked President Obama’s nomination of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board.
By a vote of 52 to 33, Senate Democrats fell far short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster and advance the nomination. Two Democrats, Senators Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, broke party ranks and voted against Becker’s nomination.
The vote took place amid strong opposition to Becker’s nomination by management and employer groups, which have raised concerns that Becker would circumvent Congress by implementing portions of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act through NLRB decisions, and citing his radical views about union organizing campaigns and representation elections. The vote represents a tremendous setback for organized labor, which had hoped to achieve a Democratic majority on the NLRB for the first time since 2001.
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- Jennifer A. Dunn
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312.786.6585 - Amy Moor Gaylord
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312.786.6172 - Staci Ketay Rotman
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312.786.6568