In one of his first clashes with the new Republican-dominated Congress over labor policy, President Obama vetoed a GOP-backed resolution Tuesday that would halt a National Labor Relations Board rule making it easier for workers to hold so-called “ambush” union-organizing elections.
It was Mr. Obama’s second veto since Republicans took control of the Senate in January, following his rejection in February of a measure that would have expedited the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The president said the congressional action would block “modest but overdue reforms to simplify” union elections.
“Because this resolution seeks to undermine a streamlined democratic process that allows American workers to freely choose to make their voices heard, I cannot support it,” he said.
Speaker John A. Boehner blasted the president’s move, and Republican leaders swiftly vowed to try to overturn Mr. Obama’s veto.
“The NLRB’s ambush election rule is an assault on the rights and privacy protections of American workers,” the Ohio Republican said. “With his veto, the president has once again put the interests of his political allies ahead of the small-business owners and hardworking Americans who create jobs and build a stronger economy.”
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