The Senate Tuesday tabled a vote on whether to override President Obama’s veto of a joint resolution of Congress aimed at stopping expedited union elections.
The Senate voted 96-3 to put the measure aside in order to return quickly to the debate on a bill that would give Congress some say over a nuclear deal with Iran. A Republican leadership aide said Democrats were going to stall the vote, which would have kept the Senate from tackling the Iran bill this week.
The vote to table the measure is a victory for President Obama, unions and the Democrat-dominated National Labor Relations Board, which implemented the rule in December.
Even if the Senate had voted, it is unlikely there would be enough votes to override the president. A supermajority of 67 Senators was needed and Republicans control only 54 votes.
Republicans have denounced the NLRB rule, saying it allows labor union elections to take place in as few as 11 days, down from a current median of 38 days.
The new rule is an example of union favoritism that is damaging to jobs and the economy, they said.
The House and Senate in March passed legislation that would allow them to block the new rule under the Congressional Review Act, which gives legislators the power to nix regulations.
Obama quickly vetoed the bill. The new NLRB rule is “common sense,” Obama said, and would streamline the union voting process for people who want to join unions.
