Obama nominates Block, Griffin to regular NLRB seats
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PAI) —
President Barack Obama has nomi-
nated Sharon Block and Richard Griffin
Jr. to the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB), setting up yet another
confrontation with Senate Republicans
over the Board, its powers, decisions,
and future.
Griffin, a former general counsel for
the Operating Engineers, and Block, a
former top aide to the late Massachu-
setts senator Edward M. Kennedy, have
been serving on the Board since Janu-
ary 2012. They were appointed by the
president during a congressional break,
after Republicans blocked their confir-
mations.
The five-member NLRB oversees
enforcement of the laws governing
union organizing drives, strikes, and
contract negotiations in the private sec-
tor. Republicans have been trying to
hamstring the agency for years — but
with much more fervor since the Board
charged The Boeing Company with il-
legally retaliating against Machinists
District 751 in Washington after it de-
cided to build a multi-million aircraft
assembly plant in right-to-work South
Carolina. The union complaint was
withdrawn in December 2011 after the
Machinists reached agreement on a new
contract.
Broadway Floral
for the BEST flowers call
503-288-5537
1638 NE Broadway, Portland
However, attempts to dismantle the
NLRB have continued.
Republican senators have filibus-
tered every nominee put forth by the
president. That’s because without a
quorum the agency can’t operate. [In
2010, the U.S. Supreme Court con-
cluded in a 5-4 decision that the Board
was not authorized to make rulings with
less than three members.]
The NLRB lost its quorum early in
January 2012, when the term of Craig
Becker — also a recess appointee —
expired. Becker was general counsel to
Harley tickets now on
sale; Unions for Kids
Poker Run is June 8
Mark your calendars for Saturday,
June 8, for the 11th annual Unions for
Kids Motorcycle Poker Run & Chili
Cook-Off, a benefit for Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital.
In 10 years, the event has donated
$326,000 to the kids of Doernbecher.
In addition to the motorcycle run,
there is a raffle to win a Harley David-
son motorcycle autographed by the Zac
Brown Band. This year’s bike is a 2013
candy orange/beer bottle Heritage Sof-
tail Classic valued at over $21,000.
Raffle tickets are currently on sale
for $10 each, with only 5,000 sold.
A silent auction the day of the event
will feature a guitar autographed by
rapper Snoop Dog aka, Snoop Lion.
For more information, call Lee
Duncan at 503-260-5905.
both the AFL-CIO and Service Em-
ployees International Union.
With Congress in a break, Obama
named Block, Griffin, and Terry Flynn
to the Board. Block and Griffin are De-
mocrats. Flynn is a Republican. The
Board was whittled to three members in
May 2012 when Flynn resigned. Flynn
quit after the NLRB’s inspector general
found that he had leaked inside infor-
mation to outside sources — some of it
to former Board member Peter
Schaumber, a labor adviser to Mitt
Romney’s presidential campaign.
Then, in January 2013, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
ruled that the NLRB was operating
without a quorum. The court ruled that
the Senate technically wasn’t in recess
when Obama made the appointments.
[The Senate had been meeting in 1-
minute-or-less sessions, every three days
— a Republican strategy to prevent the
president from making any “recess” ap-
pointments]. It ruled that Obama’s ap-
pointments were not constitutional, the
NLRB didn’t have a quorum and, thus,
it could not decide on cases.
The case on appeal before the D.C.
Circuit arose from an unfair labor prac-
tice charge brought against Washington
soft drink distributor Noel Canning by
the Teamsters Union. The NLRB had
ruled in favor of the union.
The Hill newspaper called the D.C.
Circuit ruling an “extraordinary deci-
sion” that, if upheld, will nullify
decades of NLRB appointments. The
Hill reported that President Carter made
the first recess appointment in 1980,
when Republicans filibustered his nom-
ination. Since then, five presidents have
made 26 NLRB recess appointments.
Only three of these appointments —
one by Bush I, two by Clinton — would
be valid under the (D.C. Court) ruling.
George W. Bush made the most NLRB
recess appointments, seven, none of
which were constitutional, according to
the D.C. Circuit.
The Obama Administration dis-
agrees with the ruling and is expected
to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Com-
merce is advising employers to appeal
unfavorable decisions from the past
EE
R
F
year to the D.C. Circuit “as quickly as
possible” because other Federal Courts
might uphold the recess appointments.
In the U.S. Senate, Labor Commit-
tee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
supported the nominations of Block and
Griffin. He also urged Obama to nomi-
nate Democrat Mark Gaston Pearce to a
new term as the Board’s chair, and to
quickly nominate two Republicans to
vacant minority-party seats so his com-
mittee can move all the names at once.
Pearce has said the NLRB plans to
move forward with business as usual
despite the court ruling.
BARGAIN COUNTER
Free classified ads to subscribers
DEADLINE: Friday prior to publication
Published 1st and 3rd Fridays
Now accepting e-mails
Send to: Michael492@comcast.net
Mail to: NWLP, PO Box 13150, Portland OR 97213
(Please include union affiliation)
• 15-20 words • No commercial or business ads • 1 ad per issue
• All lower case (NO CAPITAL LETTERS, PLEASE) •
Ads MUST include area code or they will not be published
A UTOMOTIVE
wheels & tires, 17”x8 tsw diamond
cut edge wheels w/255/60r17 110v
proxes s/t tires, $250 obo. 503-646-9802
’52 FOrD 4 Dr, $2,500 OBO. 503-289-
0066 (ed)
H OUSING
rOCKAwAY BeACh rental, 3 bed, 2 bath,
sleeps 10, Jacuzzi, 5 min to beach/shops.
Vacationhomerentals.com/43026
linCOln CitY vacation rental, 3 bdrm, 2
bath. sleeps 8, wi-fi, 2 blks from beach, 3
blks from casino. 503-653-2069
rOCKAwAY ocean front, 503-777-5076,
5 bdrms/2 ba, book now for summer!
http://rockawaybeachfrontrental.com
se POrtlAnD rental, 3 bedrooms, 1.5
baths, AC, near lents Park, $1,249 month.
503-805-6648
FOUr-PleX rental, 1 bed, no pets, 9125
ne Oregon, Portland, $495 plus $400 de-
posit. 503-654-3045
lOnG BeACh, wA 1 acre, 2 bdrm, loft,
computer room, 2 bath house, large shop,
grnhouse, out bldgs, $165K 503-739-2412
Sporting Goods
15-Ft AlUm sylvan, 30 honda 4-stroke
elect tiller, galv trailer, happy troller, 46lb
minnkota, stored $4,750 503-658-5043
BUYinG Us & world coins to add to col-
lection, paying fairly, any amount welcome.
503-939-8835
COlleCtOr, cash paid, old fishing
tackle, wood plugs, reels, creels, salmon
fishing photos, etc. 503-775-4166
COlleCtOr PAYs cash for older toys,
oil paintings, American art pottery, and cos-
tume jewelry. 503 703-5952
GOOD reCUrVe BOw, 40-50# pull, rea-
sonable price. 503-531-0702
siX-wheel AtV, one or two man, running
or not, please no junk. 360-275-7595 (wA
or Or only)
M ISCELLANEOUS
2006 FleetwOOD PiOneer 190fq,
sacrifice for $7,500. 503-580-9696; lo-
cated in Dallas, Oregon
1995 COmPAniOn 5th wheel, large slide-
out, with hijacker U l 16 hitch, 503-625-
6538
BeeF, Central Oregon all natural grass fed
black angus, 1/4, 1/2, whole, or custom
meat boxes. 1-541-913-8708
new GOlDen literiDer 4-wheel
scooter chair, warranty, manuals, DVD;
paid $1,300, sell for $625. 503-799-1715
FireArms ViDeOs, instructional, train-
ing, cleaning, reloading, etc., Vhs FOr-
mAt, $50. 503-493-7413 mark
W ANTED
OlD wOODwOrKinG tools, planes, lev-
els, chisels, handsaws, slicks, adzes,
wrenches, folding rulers, leather tools, tool
chests. 503-659-0009
mOtOrCYCles, quads, boats, tractors,
rVs, trailers, bicycles, autos, lawnmowers,
cash paid will pick up 503-880-8183
U.s., GermAn, Japanese military items,
uniforms, aviation, hats, helmets, swords,
daggers, bayonets, rifles, pistols. 503-852-
6791
PAGE 10
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
MARCH 1, 2013