ABC Opposes Nomination of Craig Becker for NLRB
Friday, January 29th, 2010 by adminToday, Associated Builders and Contractors reiterated its serious concerns over the president’s nominee, Craig Becker, for the National Labor Relations Board.
ABC urged its members to take immediate action (members should go here immediately to act!):
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in the near future on President Obama’s nomination of Craig Becker for a five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Mr. Becker is currently the Associate General Counsel for the SEIU and the AFL-CIO.
The NLRB is the critical federal agency that supervises and conducts union representation elections and rules on unfair labor practice charges filed by unions, employees and employers. The NLRB enforces and interprets the National Labor Relations Act – the law that governs private sector labor-management relations.
Craig Becker has written numerous law review articles and journals, which reveal his extreme views on labor law. Among other things, he has proposed significantly restricting, if not essentially banning, employers from communicating with employees about unions during an election and significantly restricting employer involvement in NLRB hearings. Mr. Becker also was involved in President Obama’s labor transition team, where he assisted in drafting pro-labor executive orders.
Mr. Becker is highly controversial and the Senate should reject his nomination to the NLRB. Tell your Senator how detrimental it would be if Craig Becker were to be confirmed as a Member of the NLRB. Tell your Senator to vote against Craig Becker’s confirmation!
ABC also joined other leading employer groups in signing a letter (see here), which reads:
Mr. Becker’s unorthodox views have been demonstrated through his previous written commentary of the National Labor Relations Act, the law he would be charged with interpreting and enforcing should he be confirmed. Many of his beliefs would disrupt years of established precedent and the delicate balance in current labor law. We have significant concerns with the Board’s ability to radically interpret existing labor law should Mr. Becker be confirmed.
As we have expressed before the public still deserves an opportunity through a formal confirmation hearing to hear from Mr. Becker directly as to whether he still believes in the positions espoused in his writings or whether his views on these issues have changed over time. It is troubling that despite our concerns the Administration has made it clear that they do not intend to nominate a more appropriate individual to serve on the Board.
More reading:
- Card Check: A Question for the Confirmation Hearing
- Senate May Seek to Rush Through Controversial Labor Board Nominee Before Sen.-Elect Brown Can Be Seated
- Big Labor’s Top Forced Unionism Lawyer Ready to Take Seat on The Board
Tags: Craig Becker, NLRB
