A critical National Labor Relations Board nomination was approved by the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on October 18, 2017, according to Bloomberg BNA. Management-side labor attorney Peter Robb’s nomination to be the Board’s next General Counsel has been long-anticipated by those interested in seeing changes in the agency’s doctrinal jurisprudence. The HELP Committee’s approval of Robb positions him for consideration by the full Senate.

The General Counsel decides which unfair labor practice cases the Board should pursue, and which issues to prioritize. The term of current General Counsel Richard Griffin, Jr., a Democrat appointed by former President Barack Obama, expires on November 3.

Republicans have been highly critical of the Obama-era Board’s rulings and decisions that, they argue, are too union-friendly and burdensome on businesses.

Robb was nominated in September, and he is widely expected to work to reverse many of the Obama-era Board’s labor-friendly rulings and decisions. He will be assisted by the NLRB’s first Republican majority in a decade, with Republicans William Emanuel and Marvin Kaplan seated.

Bloomberg BNA also has reported that California agriculture attorney, and outspoken opponent of Hillary Clinton, Mike Stoker tops President Donald Trump’s list to replace current Republican NLRB Chairman Phil Miscimarra when Miscimarra’s term expires in December. Miscimarra had declined consideration for a second term.

The HELP Committee’s approval of Robb’s nomination is another step in a process which employers hope will result in the reversal of several union-friendly decisions.