the nlrb, the national labor relations board, is the guardian of these fundamental rights. workers themselves cannot enforce the national labor relations act. but they can turn to the board if they have been denied the basic protections provided under the law. in short, the board plays a vital role in vindicating workers' rights. get this, mr. president, understand this -- in the past ten years, the national labor relations board, the nlrb, has secured opportunities for reinstatement of 22,544 employees who were unjustly fired. and over that same past ten years, the nlrb has recovered more than $1 billion on behalf of workers whose rights and wages were violated. the board also provides relief and remedies to our nation's employers. a lot of people think that the nlrb is just there for the workers. not so. it's there to help employers, too. for example, employers can turn to the board for relief if a union commences a wildcat strike or refuses to bargain in good faith during negotiations. the nlrb has a long history of helping businesses resolve disputes efficiently by preve

. >> they are doing it now because of a single decision by the national labor relations board, feeding the white house what it wants. employers and how it affects mcdonald's. it's going to shape them across the nation in various industries. it is going to enjoy jobs. many industries as we know them hotels fast food you name it, they are going to get hurt. >> is there no recourse? >> they could fight it. they could fight it in court. how long is that going to take? >> is this about forcing them to $15 minimum wage? >> unionizing. >> recourse is a change in washington. that's the recourse. when you get a change in the executive branch, you get a change in appointees and this could be reversed. >> what is the damage? >> listen, i think this is a really dumb thing. i mean listen franchises are small businesses. they have a relationship with a corporate parent. they don't own them or tell them what to do helps them out, so to speak. seems like the obama administration wants to destroy a business model that has worked well and hired a lot of people. >> how about millions and millions. i unde

the national labor relations board files a formal complaint against mcdonalds and its franchisees. why it matters. and in our signature segment, this whistleblower helped the federal government recover tens of millions of dollars. a federal program that, both parties agree, works. next on pbs newshour weekend >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we are your retirement company. additional support is provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios in lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening. thanks for joining us. president obama has decried the murder of two new york city police officers in brooklyn yesterday. and so did the families of michael brown and eric garner, african-americans whose killings by white police officers set off nationwide protests. but former new york city mayor rudolph giuliani said

hospital has until next wednesday to respond to complaints filed by the nurses union with the national labor relations board. the nurses claim crozer-chester limited their rights to picket and distribute literature, something the medical center said must be proven. >>> and money woes are forcing another district in our area to close its alternative high school at the end of the month. the atlantic city school board voted last night to shut down atlantic city high school's east campus. about 50 students go there. some of them will now attend alternative schools outside the district. most, though, will go to the main high school along with the staff from east campus. >>> you're watching nbc 10 news. "nbc 10 news today" at 6:00 a.m. starts right now. >>> and we continue to follow that breaking news in montgomery county. a building fire causing traffic problems in narberth, shutting down parts of montgomery avenue. >>> missing. the search continues for shane montgomery. and new this morning, there's been a major increase in reward money in hopes of sparking more leads. >>> and a foggy commute. this is the camer

hospital has until next wednesday to respond to complaints filed by the nurses union with the national labor relations board. nurses claim crozer-chester limited their rights to picket. >>> a catholic school is fighting to stay open. the trenton diocese gave st. paul elementary school in burlington a month to raise $250,000 or shut down. the diocese says it can no longer fund the school because of declining enrollment. >> when the students heard that we might close, i didn't want to use those words because we're fighting this. we're not going to let it go. >> the school has raised $20,000 so far. students, parents and staff are holding fund-raisers until the january 15th deadline. if they don't reach their goal, the school will close at the end of the year. >>> meantime, money woes are forcing another district to close its alternative high school at the end of this month. the atlantic city school board voted last night to shut down atlantic city high school's east campus. about 50 students go there. some of them will now attend alternative schools outside the district, but most will go to the main high scho

the national labor relations board files a formal complaint against mcdonalds and its franchisees. it matters. and in our signature segment, this whistleblower helped the federal government recover tens of millions of dollars. a federal program that, both parties agree, works. next on pbs newshour weekend >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by:

back in this country, the national labor relations board has filed formal complaints against mcdonald's and some of its franchise owners. the government alleges they fired or intimidated employees for taking part in union organizing and in protests demanding higher wages. the complaints will be considered by administrative law judges beginning in march. another major security breach, this time at staples. the office supply chain says hackers apparently stole the financial information of 1.2 million of its customers throughout the summer and fall. they gained access to shoppers' names, credit card numbers, card expiration dates and verification codes. in milwaukee, there were dozens of arrests last night after protesters blocked traffic on a major highway during rush hour. the demonstrators were protesting the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer earlier this year. the officer has not been charged. the dead man, 31-year-old dontre hamilton, had a history of mental problems. he was shot 14 times. and an internal investigation revealed that the f.b.i. routinely mishand

ahead of confirmation votes at 5:30 for positions on the nuclear regulatory commission, the national labor relations board and the energy department. off the floor lawmakers working on legislation to fund the government past thursday. tem the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god the source of our being, on yesterday december 7, we remembered how you sustain us even through unexpected tragedies. we recall the deaths, injuries, heroism, doubts, disbelief and patriotism on that date that will live in infamy. lord, continue to guide this land we love on its labyrinthine path to greatness. protect it from dangers seen and unseen as you unite for the common good. use our senators for your glory as our nation seeks to bring deliverance to captives and to let the oppressed go free. we pray in your great name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation und

unions taking to your in box@as the national labor relations board ruled the unions can use your e-mails and your friends. a democratic strategist says its about time. tracy, says this is a waste of time. you don't like it, tracy. >> ridiculous. the whole part of the case came down because the first time they tried to organize members they blamed their lack of e-mail for getting them onboard. now we take this case up again. first of all, can anyone say sony? why want to be on e-mail. they're just going to be hacked. too much information out there. and it's intrusive. >> a sensitive subject. >> i don't want you in my e-mail life. that's unfair to workers. >> i don't think it's about accessing e-mails. it's giving workers the rights they have and modernizing a rule that existed for 2014. previously the excuse was not because they wanted to use e-mail, because people weren't using e-mail. >> reach them at home. >> sure. i totally agree with you. the interesting thing is, you're e-mail tracy and talking about are you working friday? that used to be against the rules. enough it's allowed. >>

the university appealed to the national labor relations board as a whole. was thought that the nlrb would issue a ruling because one of the five members of the board, nancy schiffer's term was expiring on december 16. there was a thought that a decision would be made by them. there's still decisions trickling out. it's still possible that we'll see something but it's also possible that with a new composition of the board that they will do with the because the perception of this case will continue to be appealed and litigated through the various procedures within the nlrb and potentially into the court. >> host: as part of our big ten series we had a chance to talk with university of iowa president sally mason, asked her about the concept of unionizing student athletes something she supposed to. here's why. >> well, i would hate to see that. i really do our student athletes and students first. our student athletes are performed well above not only the school average when it comes to graduation and gpa but also well above the national average. they take their

i want to segue into the national labor relations board. they've launched a war against mcdonald's. mcdonald's franchise is really a legal extension of mcdonald's, the big company that's publicly traded. anything that happens when this small little guy should reflect in the big companies. so any local infractions by any restaurant which are owned and completely operated separately should be reflected there. here's the real deal. right? we have some serious stakes here. 90% mcdonald's restaurants are franchise restaurants. over 40% of our entire restaurant work force -- union membership. this is what this is all about. the clock is ticking. it's absolutely plummeted. the inability to lure workers into the fold is given way now to legal strong arm tactics. with less than 7% volunteering up to the plate. 36% in 1959. there are two signee targets. walmart and mcdonald's three-quarters of a million. those will be huge scores if you force those workers to be union workers. nrb and the unions, they went in overdrive in 2012, there were 290 charges against individual stores. 140 closed. eigh

the national labor relations board said that the company and franchise restaurant have violated the rights of employees looking for better pay and working conditions. among the charges that workers who took part of the union protest for better minimum wage were disciplined. the violations including firings, reduced hours and threats. mcdonald's calls the move an overreach and said it will fight it. >>> the u.s. regulators have declared insurer metlife so big that it's failure to destabilize financial markets. jen rogers from "real money" has more on what this means for the company. jen? >> well, it is a big deal for metlife, it's official determination came out from the financial stability oversight council saying it's so important. you may know it by the shorthand that we use: too big to fail. metlife is so critical to the financial infrastructure that under dodd-frank it could be held to higher standards in terms of the capitol it's required to have and disclosures it needs to make and even government supervision. that sounds like a lot of red tape, it is and that's not what any ceo want

the united nations earlier this week spoke out what it saw as a perceived threat to media freedoms here. president you ar erdogan reject ed those ideas. >> the national labor relations board said that mcdonald's and its franchise restaurant have violated the rights of employees looking for better pay and working conditions. those who took part of the demonstrations. >> robert ray visited one area where they believe are ash pits and believe the debris causes cancer. >> arsenic, chromium, lead in a lot of cases. >> poured out of a cracked drainage pipe into a major river in north carolina last february. >> duke energy cannot fail. we take this responsibility very, very seriously. we do feel like we failed a bit with down river. >> duke energy is the largest electric company in the u.s. after the spill a federal grand jury began to look into duke's relationship with north carolina regulators. miles away a coal plant overlooks the river basin. it's ash seems into the ground water. residents call this area dukeville. >> you guys are not drinking your water because you're evade there is coal ash in it. you have these jugs of water. how about bathing your kids. >> we don't bathe

in the national labor relations board, which was put together to broker relations between workers andmployees now become as recruiting tool for union? i don't get where that makes sense for taxpayers and even businesses. >> if that were the case, i would agree with you. look. elections have consequences. when george bush or he are there, they pick it. that's just politics. >> scott, if phil's talking about the middle class, he's referring to $15 an hour pay f some of these workers. economically, it does not improve the situation, some people say it makes it worse, what do you think? >> businesses as the word phil used thrive when there's free markets going on, not when there's force. and unionization is down because more people are freely leaving unions, not joining them. let me put it in terms that maybe everyone can understand. this latest ruling by the nlrb threatens to do as much damage to the owner and franchise relationship than the flop that was the blt. remember the blt sand witch that mcdonald's tried to put out a few years ago? and look at the employees that are going to be

but as ceo of a franchise company i'm very worried bun elected bureaucrats, at nlrb, the national labor relations boardhat made recent rulings that could really have a severe, bad effect on the franchise industry and kill job creation and slow our growth. david: be specific. what is it that nlrb is doing that could affect you as a franchise owner? >> my gut it is driven by unions and they're trying to create a joint employer situation with franchisors and franchisees. it could destroy the model of franchise business where all the franchisees have liberty to hire, fire and train and deal with employees. if you get us into the mix it will not be a good situation. >> adam, do you feel like weight is against you, scales of justice are supposed to be equal but do you sometimes somebody is pushing a finger on one side of the scale? >> i hear lot of people talking about what business owners need. here we are business owners telling you what we need. we need certainty. the election really changed landscape. i'm hopeful wash on both sides could get together and have a get tax reform done and it would be a good

that ruling will be made by the national labor relations board in washington, dc. >> this issue that started with kain colter in a classroom in northwestern has now grown much, much larger. house republicans have called hearing today in congress. >> we share the concerns of players that progress is too slow, but forming a union is not the answer. >> it is simply the wrong way to go to address these issues. the number of questions that are raised, are so myriad and wide ranging... >> would a union negotiate over the number and length of practices? perhaps a union would bargain over the number of games. if the school and union are at an impasse, would athletes go on strike? are these schools ready to make some tough decisions like cutting support to other athletic programs like lacrosse field hockey, or even raising tuition? >> the list of grievances these players presented are a list of grievances that players could have presented 5 or 10 years ago across the college community but they haven't been addressed. whether or not you have the security of a scholarship, for how long, whether

alexander from tennessee, when they get the majority in the senate, they want to get rid of the national labor relations boardn, what avenue do these workers have? >> well, they will have the avenue of protests, of economic pressure, of continuing to organize in different ways. but obviously, ed, that would be a tragedy and something that we will work and try and fight against happening. but look, these workers are strong. like martha, they're fearless, they're tough, they're speaking up, they're losing their jobs, they're having their hours cut. but they won't be silenced. a thousand protests, that's a big, big deal. >> martha, don't you feel that this is the time to protest now that you've got a legal ruling to your side? >> absolutely. we need to do something large to follow this up with. >> well, this should set the stage for some more protests and some more people stepping up against walmart and sticking up for the workers. this is a big ruling, let's see where it all goes. it's going to be appealed of course by the company. great to have both of you with us tonight. i appreciate your time. we will follo

hospital has until next wednesday to respond to complaints filed by the nurses union with the national labor relations board. the nurses claim that kroejer chester limited their rights to picket and distribute literature, something the medical center said must be proven. >>> well, it will start to look a lot more festive in philadelphia. after three years, the philadelphia christmas tree is back at city hall. and tonight, there will be a special tree lighting ceremony. mayor nutter will turn on the lights and there will be several performers, including grammy award-winner estelle. >>> now, your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist brittney shipp. >> foggy start to the morning and light rainfall expected throughout the rest of the afternoon. temperatures heading into the 50s today, so that's a big change from what we saw yesterday. there's a live look at the fog, also light rain coming down in philadelphia. 40 degrees right now. humidity's up. our wind speeds out of the south-southwest at 9 miles per hour. and throughout the rest of the region, we're seeing conditions in reading at 36 degrees. mostl

on friday, the national labor relations board announced 78 charges against mcdonald's and several of its franchise operators for illegally punishing and threatening workers who joined the nationwide movement for a $15-an-hour minimum wage. the move is particularly significant because it considers mcdonald's as a joint employer, which would make it responsible for labor violations at its franchise restaurants. new york republican congress member michael grimm has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to tax fraud in a move that could see him face at least two years in prison and placed him under pressure to resign. in april, he was accused of concealing more than $1 million in revenue and failing to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in employee pay at his fast food restaurant in new york city. news outlets are reporting he will plead guilty today to single count of aiding the preparation of a false tax return. the charges came as part of a wider probe into his campaign finances to which may national headlines when he threatened to throw in new york one reporter off a balcony for aski

the university appealed to the national labor relations board as a whole, it was thought that the nlrb would issue a ruling because one of the five members of the board, nancy scheffer's term was expiring on december 16. there was a thought a decision would be made by then. there's still decisions trickling out with an issued date of december 16 so it's still possible we'll see something, but it's also possible that with the new composition of the board that they'll deal with it because the perception of it is that this case will continue to be appealed and litigated through the various procedures within the nlrb and potentially into the court. host: as part of our big 10 series we talked with the university of iowa president sally mason, with unionizing athletes, something she's opposed to, and here's why. >> i would say to see that. i really view our student athletes as students first. our student athletes perform not only well above the school average when it comes to graduation and gpa, but also well above the national average. they take their studies and their academic piece here

the first time the president said i don't care what the constitution my appointees to the national labor relations board we would have had conversations among of the ourselves now about how it is that we're supposed to stop that. here we were 26 months later, we hadn't been able to do a thing. we couldn't get a defund national relations board bill across the floor of the house. we couldn't get that done amongst ourselves. it took the supreme court unanimously to step in and solve that problem for us. and shame on us that it takes the court to do it, that we didn't stand up and do it, that we didn't stand up and do it, not the republicans here but all of the folks who serve. i will close with this. it's mr. byers' opinion, he said the appointments clause was not designed to overcome friction between the branchs, that friction between the branchs was an inevitable consequence of our constitutional structure. when folks are taking the shortcuts that erode that friction, they're not solving a problem, they're creating one. i'm grateful to these members for doing everything that they can for it not to happen

the national labor relations at? --the department of labor and this is something people are thentimes unaware of -- national labor relations board and forces the national labor relations act. the spirit of what you are saying is something i very much agree with and i mentioned the grantmaking we are doing -- why aren't we having more competitive grants being awarded in indian country? part of the reason -- and i learned this from my outreach to all of you, we were not making tribal nationsat were eligible to apply for these grants and shame on us. have fixed that and we have issued very explicit guidance. in a week or two, we are going important grant solicitation to encourage help build that will that. this is all about you. the 17, 18, 20-year-old that can go into these high demand occupations on the reservations that can help build that type line to the middle class. what we have attempted to clarify through our guidance is you are eligible to apply and i hope you will in theecause apprenticeship context and so many other contexts, what we do -- what arnie does for our young we are doing for young adults and so many others. m

he replaced the chairman of the national labor relations board. the steelworkers union appealed the previous decision. the board ruled that health insurance and retirement are extensions of pay. three years later, 1952, the steel workers went on strike for 150 days. i brought lunch buckets out to my father and other men who were on strike. i remember it well. they won. they prevailed. over time, they improved their inclusion of health insurance and retirement pay in their contract negotiations. i wish my father lived long enough to see the day we passed a national health insurance program. it isn't universal coverage, it isn't single-payer, but it is a vast improvement. >> we had in a series of these interviews with members who are not coming back about the fact that over the course of the last 25 or 30 years, it has been a time of growth in the united states. it has always been building in growth for the most part. we are in $14 trillion worth of debt right now. the current congress will find ways to trim government. the question that comes to min

in those 2 1/2 years, over 400 cases were decided by the national labor relations board, now all invalidated by this supreme court decision. .ives thrown into turmoil not one senator, not one democratic senator, not one senator from the leadership spoke out to say, mr. president, i may agree with your politics, i may agree with your policies but the way you're getting them done is unconstitutional. and every one of them knew it. just like the supreme court did 9-0 when they ruled 2 1/2 years later. now fast forward to today, mr. speaker. we're talking about immigration. and we're not talking about good immigration policy. because that's what we talk about in the judiciary committee. we're not talking about immigration law in this country, because that's what's decided by the house and the senate. what we're talking about is the president taking action on his own in an end run around the senate, an end run around the house, an end run around the constitution and implementing immigration policy all by himself. he was asked about that in a univision town hall, mr. speaker. it was march of 2011

the senate foreign relations committee on isis. >>> and the senate about to gavel in now and starting with general speeches ahead of confirmation votes at 5:30 for positions on the nuclear regulatory commission, the national labor relations boardrgy department. off the floor lawmakers working on legislation to fund the government past thursday. tem the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god the source of our being, on yesterday december 7, we remembered how you sustain us even through unexpected tragedies.

this is 20 minutes -- the national labor relations board and ellen dudley williams to be a member of the department of energy. i'm happy to be here today to talk about a couple of my friends, i should say the senate's friends. i have received a lot of friends, gifts while i have been here. my colleagues over the years have given me things while i have been here in the senate, but one gift stands out really strongly in my mind. into my desk not far from -- in my desk not far from here, i have a big painting. it's a very famous from the national portrait gallery of mark twain. mark twain, i tell people, was born in nevada, which was true. samuel clemmens wasn't. he was choans -- chosen as secretary of nevada and he told his younger brother samuel -- sorry, mr. president. he told his younger brother, come west and i'll find you a job. he had been fighting, which he didn't like, in the civil war. so he came west with his brother. but his brother couldn't find him a job, so he bummed around for quite awhile. and without belaboring the story too long, the fact is, mr. president, that mark t

kain colter, a former northwestern quarter testified before the national labor relations board that he spent 50 to 60 hours a week during training camp in the summer and once the season started his commitment to football was 40 to 50 hours a week. it was hard to be a student, he said, in light of his obligations as an athlete. as it happens, a finding of that same nlrb hearing is likely a significant step in radically changing further how college athletes in our society are regarded. the regional director ruled that football players at northwestern are, in fact, employees of the school and have the right to form a union. the ruling is currently being appealed by northwestern, but the battle lines have been drawn. what is a student athlete? and how should he or she be treated in regard to compensation and rights? here this afternoon to try and answer those questions, or at least shed some light on some of the issues a distinguished panel. we start with cholesterristine , a columnist for "usa today," a commentator for cnn and national public radio. len elmore is a sportscaster for cbs an

the authority where they can be named as an employer, which the general counselor of the national labor relations board year. >> kendall, a lot of these companies that you're talk about, mcdonald's as a prime example, are having major issues on their own with people not buying their product as much as they used to. issues with maybe menu sprawl, people going to higher end restaurants, fast casual as opposed to fast food. are those two things linked in any way? i get the sense that maybe the folks at chipotle make a little more on average than the people at mcdonald's do. and apparently a lot of people are willing to pay that. >> yeah, when this campaign began, mcdonald's was one of the most loved brands in the country. now they're one of the most hated brands in the country. and i would say a lot of that has to do with the fact that $7 billion in taxpayer money is being used to subsidize these workers with the fact that 8 out of 10 fast food workers are having their wages actually stolen by their employers. not only are they making minimum wage, employers are stealing their money multiple ways. america

. >> the national labor relations board says mcdonald's can be held responsible for the treatment ofrs at its restaurants even if they're owned by franchisees. but does a worker at a franchise restaurant really work for the mcdonald's corporation or is it working for the franchisee and can complaint redefine the meaning of employee? charles payne host of making money, fox business, joins us this morning. good to see you this morning. >> you too. >> what is exactly the nut of this? we have 14,000 restaurants that aren't operating independently. they are under one umbrella? >> a mcdonald's franchisee who worked 20 years, saves every nickel they had went to every relative they had to buy this franchise it's not mcdonald's' business. it's their business. listen this is what this is. it's a farce a gigantic farce to somehow find a way to spike private sector union membership. 36% in 1953. about 6% right now. the private sector workers rejected it. they're trying to make this happen. mcdonald's, wal-mart those are your two big targets. >> what the president claimed through nlrb, through no

the clerk: national labor relations board, lauren mcgarity mcferran of the district of columbia to be a member. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be two minutes of debate prior to the vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the williams nomination. without objection time is yielded. the clerk will report the the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of ellen dudley williams of maryland to be director of the advance research projects agency-energy, department of energy. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is: is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of ellen dudley williams of maryland to be the director of the advanceed research projects agency-energy, department of energy, shall be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: the presiding offi

the clerk: national labor relations board, lauren mcgarity mcferran of the district of columbia to be a member. mr. reid: mr. president, there's a cloture motion at the desk that i ask to be reported. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of lauren mcgarity mcferran of the district of columbia to be a member of the national labor relations board. signed by 17 senators. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask consent the mandatory quorum under rule 22 be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. reid: mr. president, i move to calendar number 552 as if i

the clerk: nominations: nuclear regulatory commission, jeffrey martin baran of virginia to be a member. national labor relations board, lauren mcgarity mcferran of the district of columbia to be at that member. department of energy, ellen dudley williams of maryland to be director of the advanced research projects agency. the presiding officer: flr now two minutes of debate prior to a vote on the baran nomination, equally divided. who yields time? mr. leahy: yield back on this side. the presiding officer: all time having been yielded back, the yeas and nays have been requested. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote? if not there are 52 yeas, 40 nays. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, there will be two minutes of debate prior to a vote on the mcferran nomination. who yields time? without objection, all time being yielded back, the question occurs on the mcferran nomination. is there a sufficient second for the yeas and nays? there is, there appears to