Marathon Pundit: WFI calls on NLRB board member Richard Griffin To resign

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

WFI calls on NLRB board member Richard Griffin To resign

From a Workforce Fairness Institute press release:

Workforce Fairness Institute Calls On Richard Griffin To Resign

Labor Board Member Embroiled In Controversy, Fails To Engender Integrity, Confidence

Washington, D.C. (January 15, 2013) – The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) today issued the following statement calling on National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Richard Griffin to resign effective immediately:

“The time has come for Richard Griffin to put aside his commitment to rewarding his fellow Big Labor bosses to the detriment of American employees and employers, and resign his post as a member of the National Labor Relations Board. The recent complaint that names him as a defendant and details his role in an embezzlement scheme clearly makes him unsuited to serve as an unbiased arbiter deciding matters that significantly impact American workers and small businesses,” said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). “This most recent development comes on the heels of news coverage showing Griffin was long-time counsel to a union ‘tainted by mob ties’ and with a ‘history of corruption.’ It is now abundantly clear that President Obama’s recess appointment of Griffin, which was a violation of the Constitution as the Senate was in session, placed a person unfit for that responsibility on the Board. The simple truth is Griffin could not survive the vetting process required in a nomination hearing as he is embroiled in controversy for a failure to demonstrate the integrity necessary to serve on a federal agency at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. Therefore, it is time for Griffin to step aside; otherwise, the Obama Labor Board will further shed credibility – if indeed – any remains at this point.”

BACKGROUND:

“Lawsuit Accuses Obama Appointee Of Embezzlement Cover-Up”:

“A recent lawsuit filed in a federal court in California alleges that National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Richard Griffin was complicit in a scheme to cover up embezzlement at a major labor union by terminating employees who attempted to expose the effort. The allegations appear in a lengthy complaint filed against the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The lawsuit alleges numerous violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, and names Griffin, IUOE’s former general counsel, as a defendant. President Barack Obama controversially appointed Griffin to the NLRB in January 2012 in a move some observers described as illegal. He never faced confirmation hearings or standard background checks.” (Lachlan Markay, “National Labor RICO Board,” Washington Free Beacon, 1/8/13)

“Obama Pick For NLRB Was Top Lawyer For Union Tainted By Mob Ties, History Of Corruption”:

“The rap sheet for members of the International Union of Operating Engineers reads like something out of ‘Goodfellas.’ Embezzlement. Wire fraud. Bribery. That’s just scratching the surface of crimes committed by the IUOE ranks. And it is from this union that President Obama earlier this year picked one of his latest appointees to the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency tasked with resolving labor disputes between unions and management. That recess appointee, Richard Griffin, was former general counsel for the 400,000-member union of heavy equipment operators -- a union tainted over the years by mob connections and a history of corruption. Public documents obtained by Fox News show that more than 60 IUOE members have been arrested, indicted or jailed in the last decade on charges that include labor racketeering, extortion, criminal enterprise, bodily harm and workplace sabotage.” (Doug McKelway, “Obama Pick For NLRB Was Top Lawyer For Union Tainted By Mob Ties, History Of Corruption,” Fox News, 6/22/12)

Griffin’s Recess Appointment Product Of President Obama “Sticking A Thumb In [Congress’] Eye And Hitting Below The Belt”:

“Remember those terrible days of the Imperial Presidency, when George W. Bush made several ‘recess appointments’ to overcome Senate opposition? Well, Czar George II never did attempt what President Obama did yesterday in making recess appointments when Congress isn’t even on recess. Eager to pick a fight with Congress as part of his re-election campaign, Mr. Obama did the Constitutional equivalent of sticking a thumb in its eye and hitting below the belt. He installed Richard Cordray as the first chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and named three new members to the National Labor Relations Board. He did so even though the Senate was in pro forma session after the new Congress convened this week … As for Mr. Obama’s three NLRB appointees, he only notified Congress of his intent to nominate them on December 15. The Senate hasn’t had time to hold a single confirmation hearing. The nominees, two Democrats and one Republican, will give the labor board a quorum that it wouldn’t have had with the December 31 expiration of the term of previous recess-appointee Craig Becker. Under this Administration, the supposedly nonpartisan NLRB has become a partisan arm of Big Labor, and that will probably continue this election year. Appointee Sharon Block is the Labor Department’s Congressional liaison and former aide to Ted Kennedy. Richard Griffin is general counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers.” (Editorial, “Contempt For Congress,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/5/12)

The Workforce Fairness Institute is an organization committed to educating voters, employers, employees and citizens about issues affecting the workplace. To learn more, please visit: http://www.workforcefairness.com.