n a move that will tilt the balance of labor power in Washington more in favor of unions, President Obama last month appointed controversial labor attorney Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Obama used a “recess appointment” to seat Becker and Democratic attorney Mark Pearce while the Senate was on Easter break. In February, the Senate voted down Becker’s nomination.

Business groups fought hard against Becker, the former associate general counsel to the AFL-CIO and an author of the controversial Employee Free Choice Act. The Wall Street Journal called Becker “labor’s secret weapon.”