President Bush has moved to bring the National Labor Relations Board closer to full strength, with the Jan. 4 recess appointment of Cleveland labor lawyer Peter N. Kirsanow to a board seat. Kirsanow, whose appointment extends into 2007, fills one of two open positions on the five-person board. The action was one of three recess appointments announced for federal labor agencies.
In November, Bush had nominated Kirsanow to a board seat, for a term expiring in August 2008, but the Senate hasn't yet acted on the nomination. A Senate source says there was "significant opposition" from Democrats on at least two of the labor agency nominations, adding that "apparently the White House did not get a sense that a deal could be reached" and decided to use recess appointments.