Obama blocks effort to speed union votes
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Tuesday vetoed a measure passed by the Republican-run Congress blocking the National Labor Relations Board from streamlining the process for union elections, saying government should not make it harder for workers to be heard in the workplace.
Obama also announced a fall White House summit on worker rights.
The NLRB rule, set to take effect on April 14, would shorten the amount of time between when an election is called and when it is held by eliminating a 25-day waiting period.
Republicans and business groups opposed the rule.
Negotiations with Iran go past deadline
LAUSANNE, Switzerland – With stubborn disputes unresolved, negotiators extended nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers past a self-imposed Tuesday midnight deadline in an effort to hammer out the outline of an agreement.
Enough progress had been made to warrant the extension until Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, although there still were “several difficult issues” to bridge.
Secretary of State John Kerry, who had planned to leave the talks on Tuesday, was remaining. And an Iranian negotiator said his team could stay “as long as necessary” to clear the remaining hurdles.
Associated Press
