Federal Spotlight: Senate votes to block 'election ambush rule'
March 5, 2015
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday invoked a rarely-used statute to show its disapproval of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule that shortens the timeframe for union elections. The National Association of Manufacturers and other opponents have referred to the rule as as “ambush election rule” because it would allow elections to take place in as few as 11 days after being called, rather than the current average of about 40 days.
Republicans in the Senate employed the Congressional Review Act for the vote, which allows Congress to “formally disapprove of regulations with a smile majority as opposed to the 60 votes typically required to overcome a filibuster,” according to an article from The Hill.
NAM officials praised the senate vote, saying it sent a “clear message to the Obama Administration that Congress will not stand idly by while the NLRB’s aggressive agenda seeks to uproot longstanding labor policy.”
The House is considering its own disapproval resolution. The White House has threatened to veto the measure.