It’s old news by now that the nomination of Craig Becker to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board has been blocked–or, as the British like to say in a more interesting way, scuppered. Understand that Becker actually got 52 votes–FIFTY-TWO–in favor of his appointment. In my long-ago civics class, I was taught, well, that that was a majority of the Senators. But, not in the world of the filibuster.
What was fascinating was the reasoning given by Sen. Ben Nelson–a Democrat, a member of the president’s party–for voting to block Becker’s ascension to the NLRB (which, because of a shortage of board members, has not been able to move on a pile of decisions):
"Mr. Becker’s previous statements strongly indicate that he would take an aggressive personal agenda to the NLRB, and that he would pursue a personal agenda there, rather than that of the administration," Nelson said in a statement.
What was that "personal agenda"? Well, it was an agenda that would have made union organizing easier and made collective bargaining a reality for millions of workers.
Meaning, Becker wanted to actually abide by the law. Here is what the Wagner Act, which created the modern-era labor law framework, says is the law’s purpose:
Employees shall have the right of self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in concerted activities, for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.
And, with the exception of a few extremists on the wing-nut fringe, few rationale people would argue that the above works today. We all know, as a matter of facts, that it is impossible to organize a union under the current labor laws because companies–and their union-busting nicely-dressed lawyers–spend unlimited amounts of money to make sure people can’t actually have a fair chance to choose a union.
All Becker wanted to do is make the law of the land a reality. What a terrible "personal agenda" to have.
