Bid to Derail New Union Rules Vetoed by Obama

(CN) - President Barack Obama vetoed a measure passed by the Republican-led Congress that would have stopped the National Labor Relations Board from streamlining the process of unionizing workers.

The new rules, drafted by the NLRB last year would, shorten the amount of time between when a union election is called and when it is held to as little as 14 days.

They also require employers to supply union organizers with workers' email addresses and telephone numbers, and delay legal challenges by employers until after workers have voted on a proposal to unionize.

They are now set to take effect on April 14.

Earlier this month, Republicans in the House and Senate approved a bill that would have stopped their enactment.

But on Tuesday, Obama vetoed the measure, while stating that he say the NLRB's approach as "modest" and a reflection of "common sense."

""Unions have played a vital role in giving workers that voice, allowing workers to organize together for higher wages, better working conditions, and the benefits and protections that most workers take for granted today.," the president said. " Workers deserve a level playing field that lets them freely choose to make their voices heard, and this requires fair and streamlined procedures for determining whether to have unions as their bargaining representative.."

" Because this resolution seeks to undermine a streamlined democratic process that allows American workers to freely choose to make their voices heard, I cannot support it," Obama added.

Later, House Speaker John Boehner derided the president, calling what he characterized as the NLRB's "ambush election rule" "an assault on the rights and privacy protections of American workers."

"With his veto, the president has once again put the interests of his political allies ahead of the small-business owners and hardworking Americans who create jobs and build a strong economy," Boehner said in a statement.

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