The Senate voted 53-45 Wednesday to prohibit the National Labor Relations Board from implementing a new rule that would speed up the scheduling of union workplace organizing elections. Republicans dubbed it the “ambush election” rule and said it unfairly tilted the field towards organized labor.
“The NLRB’s ‘ambush’ rule is aimed at enriching political bosses at the expense of middle-class workers, Republicans think workers should have the right to make an informed decision when casting their ballot in a union election,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The board is a quasi-independent federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act. In December, it adopted a new rule, long sought by organized labor, thatrequires that most votes by workers on whether to unionize be scheduled about two weeks after the board authorized them. Previously, the process took one to two months. Businesses often used the interim period to try to dissuade employees from unionizing.
Republicans invokedthe Congressional Review Act, a rarely used law that allows Congress to override federal agency rulemakings.
The vote was along strict party lines with no Democrats joining in Republicans in opposing the rule. President Obama has vowed to veto the resolution and Wednesday’s vote indicates that the GOP lacks the votes to override him, making the vote largely symbolic.
“The National Labor Relations Board’s representation case procedures rule helps to level the playing field for workers,” the White House said Wednesday.
