Labor board flexes muscle, to chagrin of business

By SAM HANANEL Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The agency that enforces the nation's labor laws has emerged as a key player in the clash between business and organized labor over union rights.

The National Labor Relations Board has been more aggressive lately in cracking down on businesses that fire employees during union organizing drives. The five-member board has also been revisiting some business-friendly decision issued during the Bush administration.

The moves are a rare bright spot for a labor movement that has lost more than 1.3 million members over the last two years. But all the activity has upset Republicans and business groups, who claim the board is going too far to help unions.

Last year, President Barack Obama gave the board its first Democratic majority in nearly a decade.