Nominated by President George W. Bush on October 4, 2002, confirmed by the United States Senate on November 14, 2002, Bob Battista began serving as the Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board on December 17, 2002. His term ran until December 16, 2007. The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that administers the National Labor Relations Act – the law governs relations between employers and labor organizations in the private sector.

Before his appointment, Mr. Battista practiced for over 37 years as a labor and employment lawyer with Butzel Long, a Detroit, Michigan firm. While at Butzel Long, Mr. Battista served as counsel and trial attorney for numerous companies, educational institutions and multi-employer associations, before state and federal administrative agencies, in arbitration, and in state and federal courts. In addition, Mr. Battista had extensive experience serving as chief negotiator in negotiating collective bargaining agreements on behalf of individual companies as well as multi-employer associations.