Former NLRB Member Becker To Take Top AFL-CIO Post; Controversial Flynn Resigns
Wednesday, May 30, 2012(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Craig Becker (r), a former National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) member who drew so much GOP ire that a Republican filibuster kept him
from a permanent board seat, will become Co-General Counsel of the AFL-CIO on
July 1. He’ll join incumbent Lynn Rhinehart atop the federation’s legal
department. President Barack Obama had nominated fellow Chicagoan Becker, a
former AFL-CIO and Service Employees associate counsel, to a permanent NLRB
seat, but when the GOP mustered enough votes to win its threatened filibuster
against him, his nomination was dead. Obama then named Becker to the NLRB by a
temporary “recess” appointment, which ended months ago. AFL-CIO President
Richard Trumka called Becker "a brilliant lawyer and creative thinker with deep
experience in labor law, litigation and organizing. His combination of legal
acumen and experience on the ground is simply unmatched. The strengths of
these two extraordinary lawyers, Becker and Rhinehart, are a perfect complement,
and together they will lead a powerhouse legal program to protect and promote
the interests of working men and women.” In other NLRB news, controversial
board member Terence Flynn resigned last weekend, immediately recusing himself
from all agency business and asking the President to withdraw his nomination for
the Board. The NLRB Inspector General earlier this year issued two reports
describing how Flynn funneled confidential information about NLRB activities and
deliberations, including attorney-client privileged information, to two former
NLRB members who have worked to undermine and discredit the NLRB. Click here to read more on the AFL-CIO Now blog.
- Press Associates Union News Service