Iron Chef of Music

WASHINGTON The chairman of the National Labor Relations Board hopes to have another round of regulations in place by the end of the year that would make it easier for unions to establish and win representation elections in workplaces.

Undeterred by Republican protests, Mark Pearce said he will urge the board to approve the new rules now that it has a full component of five members after President Barack Obama bypassed the Senate to fill three vacancies.

We keep our eye on the prize, Pearce said in an interview with The Associated Press. Our goal is to create a set of rules that eliminate a lot of waste of time, energy and money for the taxpayers.

One change Pearce wants is requiring businesses to hand over lists of employee phone numbers and emails to union leaders before an election.

He also wants the board to consider other rule changes it didnt have time to approve before it lost a quorum last year. They include the use of electronic filings and quicker timetables for certain procedures.

My personal hope is that we take on all of these things and consider each one of these rules, Pearce said. We presume the constitutionality of the presidents appointments and we go forward based on that understanding.

GOP leaders have challenged the recess appointments as unconstitutional, saying the Senate was not technically in recess when Obama acted. Republicans had threatened to block confirmation votes on any nominees to fill the three NLRB vacancies, saying the board was making too many union-friendly decisions.

If the board decides to propose the new rules, they would expand on sweeping regulations approved in December that speed up the process for holding union elections at work sites after unions collect enough signatures from employees. Those rules are slated to take effect on April 30.

While the first round of rules won praise from union leaders, business groups claim they allow ambush elections that wont give employers enough time to talk to employees about whether to choose a union.

Business groups and their Republican allies say the latest push confirms their fears that the new board now led by three Democrats and two Republicans will approve even more rules that make it easier for unions to organize new members.

I knew this was going to happen, said Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-SC, a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The NLRB has lost all pretense of objectivity in my judgment.

White House officials say Obama was justified in going around the Senate since some Republicans had vowed to block any nominations in order to paralyze the NLRB. The five-member board is not allowed to consider cases or rules unless it has a quorum of at least three members.

Randel Johnson, the US Chamber of Commerces vice president on labor issues, said he is surprised the board would try to adopt even more new rules that businesses fiercely oppose.

If theyre going to go forward on that basis, I think that removes any pretense at all that they are not in the back pocket of the union movement, Johnson said.

AFL-CIO spokeswoman Alison Omens called Pearces comments a reasonable, balanced approach to ensure that every person has a voice on the job.

The board is obviously taking modest steps to create a level playing field and bring stability to a process thats been outdated, Omens said.

Republicans in Congress are vowing to put more pressure on the agency, with at least two hearings on the NLRB recess appointments planned next month before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Judiciary Committee.

If the board is determined to continue advancing its pro-union agenda, House Republicans will continue to maintain aggressive oversight, said Brian Newell, spokesman for education committee Chairman John Kline, R-Minn.

Pearce said he wants the NLRB to become a household word for all workers, not just those affiliated with organized labor.

We want the agency to be known as the resource for people with workplace concerns that may have nothing to do with union activities, he said.

He said many workers dont understand that they can seek recourse with the NLRB to protect rights that exist outside of union protections.

Tags: Press

A video of Mahela Jayawardenes press conference ahead of Sri Lankas clash against Australia in the sixth ODI of the CB series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

After a thrilling game against India that ended in a tie, Sri Lanka will look to put an end to their winless streak in the CB series, when they play against Australia in their next ODI.

Skipper Jayawardene is confident that his side will come good, and that they have taken the positives from the three narrow defeats so far. However, he admits there were mistakes and the time has come to rectify them.

Sri Lanka have often crumbled in crunch situations, and that is where the team needs to cope up, the captain feels.

The next game against Australia will be Sri Lankas fourth and even if they do well, they will still need to perform better in the second leg of the series to secure a berth in the finals.

But the optimistic captain says he isnt thinking too much about the later stages, but is in fact, concentrating on one game at a time.

Tags: Press

President Obama vowed to have the most transparent administration in history, but open government advocates say hes depriving voters of knowing which wealthy donors are getting prime access to top officials.

Obama arrives in San Francisco today for a series of high-dollar fundraisers, including one with 20 supporters at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel. Price of admission: $35,800 per person.

But an Obama campaign official declined to say who will get such intimate access to the president. Reporters are banned from the event but can attend two others today. The days take will go to the Obama Victory Fund, a fundraising committee authorized by Obama for America, his re-election campaign, and the Democratic National Committee.

White House spokesman Adam Abrams said the Mark Hopkins gathering is closed because the president is hosting a roundtable discussion with a small group of people to benefit his campaign. Since the president is not planning to deliver formal remarks, this event will be closed to press.

But Kathy Kiely, managing editor of the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, which analyzes the influence of money on politics, said that is a contradictory message to send because this president said his administration is going to be transparent. If you say youre going to be open, be open.

Besides, Kiely said, the check-writers names are required to appear in campaign fundraising disclosure documents within weeks.

The White House Correspondents Association believes all of the fundraisers the president attends should be open to the press, said Caren Bohan, its president and a White House correspondent for Reuters.

The administration has fallen short of its transparency pledge elsewhere, analysts said.

Earlier this month, the administration said that Cabinet secretaries will be attending fundraisers for Priorities USA, the top super PAC supporting Obamas re-election. Super PACs may accept unlimited contributions directly from corporations, labor unions and individuals.

Wednesday, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., asked Obama to reconsider allowing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to attend super PAC fundraisers, saying it is particularly inappropriate for someone involved in implementing the health care law.

John Wonderlich, policy director at the Sunlight Foundation, said that while Cabinet officials have long participated in fundraisers, when its for unlimited sums of money, the calculus is different. Wonderlich called on Obama to lean on Priorities USA to promptly disclose when top officials attend fundraisers.

Said White House spokesman Abrams: Just like in previous administrations of both parties, administration officials and Cabinet members in their private time can and do engage in political activity. There are various rules governing these activities and our administration officials follow them.

Tags: Press

Gillard staffer resigns as leak links up

A press secretary to the Prime Minister has quit after it was confirmed there was a leak to the tent embassy about Tony Abbotts whereabouts and comments.

• Autoplay OnOff
• Video feedback
• Video settings

Tags: Press

Link to this video

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said on Friday that France and Afghanistan have agreed to ask Nato to bring forward the handover of all combat operations to Afghan forces to 2013.

Sarkozy also announced an accelerated exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan – marking a break from previous plans to adhere to the US goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014. The proposal comes a week after four unarmed French troops were killed by an Afghan soldier.

Sarkozy, alongside Afghan president Hamid Karzai who was in Paris for a previously planned visit, said France had told the US of its plan, and will present it at a meeting next week of Nato defence ministers in Brussels. He said he would call the US president, Barack Obama, about it on Saturday.

The new idea floated by Sarkozy would accelerate a gradual drawdown of Nato troops that Obama has planned to see through until the end of 2014.

Sarkozy said France will withdraw combat troops by the end of 2013, a reversal from his repeated commitment in recent months to stick with other allies on a US-led schedule.

At the same time, he said France will restart its training missions of Afghan troops. After the shootings on 20 January, he suspended the training and joint French military patrols with Afghan forces.

Tags: Press

Syrian forces pressed their
crackdown against anti-government protesters as the United
Nations argued over a resolution that would pressure Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad to transfer power to his deputy.

Eleven Syrians were killed today in violence across the
country as security forces stormed and shelled towns on the
outskirts of Damascus, the Syrian capital, Al Arabiya television
said, citing activists. More than 100 Syrians died in clashes
yesterday, the highest number in one day since the uprising
started, Al Jazeera television reported today, citing activists.

The violence comes after the UN Security Council discussed
yesterday a revised draft resolution calling on Assad to
transfer power to his deputy. Previous language, which urged
Assad to abandon power to pave way for “fair elections,” was
replaced with a call for him to hand over “full authority” to
his deputy and for the “formation of a national unity
government,” according to the draft obtained by Bloomberg News.

Opponents of Assad’s government broke into Syria’s embassy
in Cairo yesterday, Egypt’s state-run Middle East News Agency
reported, without saying where it got the information. An oil
pipeline was damaged by a blast in a town near Deir Al Zour,
after shelling by the Syrian army, Al Jazeera television said.

Eleven months into the unrest, the European Union and the
US have yet to overcome Russia’s resistance at the UN’s
decision-making body to hold Assad responsible for a crackdown
that the UN estimates has killed more than 5,000 people.

Draft Changes

“Unfortunately, the draft that we saw today not only
ignored our red lines, but also added some new elements that we
find unacceptable as a matter of principle,” Russian Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin told reporters after yesterday’s meeting. “The
Security Council cannot go about imposing political solutions in
crisis situations in various countries of the world.”

To mollify Russia, which says Western powers are seeking
regime change in Syria, the draft underwent three changes.
Previous language that urged Assad to relinquish power was
replaced with a call for him to delegate power to his deputy, a
move that could leave Assad the nominal leader even if he is
devoid of powers, according to a UN diplomat who spoke on
condition of anonymity because the talks are private.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil El-Arabi and Qatari
Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani plan to travel
to New York this weekend and present Syria’s crisis dossier to
the Security Council on Jan. 31. The draft resolution affirms a
transition plan put forward by the Arab League calling for a
national unity government within two months to implement a
peaceful handover of power.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Glen Carey in Riyadh at
gcarey8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Andrew J. Barden at
barden@bloomberg.net

• Tweet

• More

  Tags: Press

CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon, but he wants to keep things in perspective.

Tags: Press

BEIRUT: Five Iranians kidnapped in Syria in December have been moved to north Lebanon, Irans English-language Press TV, quoting a source in north Lebanon, reported Saturday.

Tags: Press

About Beau Dure

Former USA TODAY staffer Beau Dure covered soccer and Olympic sports from 1999-2010 and sees plenty of crossover between those sports and MMA, at least on the business side. At press conferences, hes the one who never uses the term ring rust. Hes grateful to his summer camp judo teacher for teaching him how to fall. He loves studying MMA history but never again wants to see the Joe Son-Keith Hackney bout. More about Beau

Tags: Press

Three wickets for England and 73 runs for Pakistan meant the outcome of an intriguing second Test remained in the balance after the fourth morning at the Zayed Stadium.

Monty Panesar (four for 59) ended a determined fifth-wicket stand between Azhar Ali (68) and Asad Shafiq, and then James Anderson and Stuart Broad struck once each with the second new ball.

But Pakistan nonetheless battled to a lunchtime 198 for seven, and a lead of 128, to stay in with a chance of taking a series-clinching 2-0 advantage with just one match to play next week.

Tags: Press