Also named is Sharon Block, currently deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor. She has served as the senior labor and employment counsel for the Senate HELP Committee. The third member named is Terence F. Flynn, chief counsel to NLRB member Brian Hayes. He also was counsel in the labor and employment law firm Crowell & Moring.

International Union of Operating Engineers President James T. Callahan says Griffin is “highly respected by lawyers on both the labor and business side of labor law.”

Noted Callahan: “His fair-minded approach to legal questions is exactly what the NLRB needs….Richard Griffin and the President’s other pick Sharon Block are distinguished attorneys who will bring an even-handed approach to labor and management issues. They deserve to be seated—and workers and employers deserve a functioning National Labor Relations Board.”

The National Labor Relations Board administers the federal labor law that covers most workers in the private sector. Obama is filling seats on the board through recess appointments because Republicans in Congress have held up confirmations of his choices.

Mike Hall writes for the national AFL-CIO news blog, where this article originally appeared.