Remember the Senate showdown in mid-July that nearly ended the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster rule? A major cause of it was President Obama’s re-nomination of labor union lawyer Richard Griffin to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Republicans lost that fight. The final deal gave Democrats exactly what they wanted, reviving the then-crippled labor law enforcement board by allowing votes on a full slate of pro-union NLRB nominees as well as other top presidential appointees like Labor Secretary.