According to the New York Times, President Barack Obama has reportedly decided to renominate Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Last summer, the President nominated Becker, Mark Pearce, and Brian Hayes to the U.S. Senate to be members of the NLRB. In December, Becker’s nomination was returned to the White House for reconsideration after Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) put a hold on it. (The Senate held over the nominations of Pearce and Hayes until its 2010 session.)

Becker has stirred up the most controversy out of the three nominees since the business community and Republicans are strongly opposed to his nomination. He currently serves as associate general counsel to both the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the largest unions in the United States, and the American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a voluntary federation of national and international labor unions.

The President appoints NLRB members to five-year terms with the Senate’s consent, and one member’s term expires each year. Traditionally, individuals of the same political party as the President in office fill three of the five Board seats. If confirmed, the NLRB would have a full five-member board for the first time since December 2007. Currently, Wilma B. Liebman is the chair of the NLRB, Peter C. Schaumber is a member, and there are three vacancies.

Regardless of whether the Senate ends up approving Becker’s nomination, the inevitable reconfiguration of the NLRB is likely to happen in 2010. Such a restructured NLRB would most likely consist of a pro-labor majority, and it could have a significant effect on labor law and policy by reversing NLRB decisions issued under the last administration and setting new precedent.

HR Guide to Employment Law: A practical compliance reference manual covering 14 topics, including labor unions and organizing