Republicans in Congress are employing a rarely-used Senate rule to halt new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regulations aimed at speeding up and modernizing union representation elections.
The GOP joint disapproval resolution will likely pass the Republican-controlled House and Senate, but President Obama is expected to use his veto pen when it reaches his desk.
The new regulations, approved by the NLRB last December, allow union election petitions to be transmitted electronically and in most cases require a pre-election hearing to be held within seven days of the petition’s filing. It also postpones certain appeals until after the election takes place. NLRB Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce said the changes are “far overdue.”
“Both business and workers deserve a process that is effective, fair and free of unnecessary delays, which is exactly what this rule strives to accomplish,” said Pearce.
The new rules were scheduled to take effect on April 14. The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution later this month.
