By Brendan O'Brien

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Former National Labor Relations Board member Brian Hayes has joined Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder and co-chair of the firm's traditional labor relations practice group.

His two-year term on the board ended on Dec. 16.

Hayes, who was appointed in June 2010 by President Barack Obama, was the only Republican on the board until January 2012, when Terence Flynn joined.

During his term, Hayes held pro-management positions on several key issues involving the use of social media in the workplace, notice postings and narrow bargaining units.

Hayes on Tuesday said his most important contribution was providing a dissenting viewpoint during a "very, very dynamic" time for the board.

"It's important, when any kind of government or bureaucratic agency or judicatory body goes in a direction that's somewhat different than it has before, that there will be someone there to articulate a different view of things," he said.

Hayes added that his dissenting views were valuable to federal courts that handle appeals and enforce NLRB orders.

"All arguments have two sides and the other side has to be articulated fairly and honestly for there to be the kind of debate necessary to develop good policy," he said.

Prior to the NLRB appointment, Hayes served as the Republican labor policy director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

He began his legal career as a clerk for the NLRB's chief administrative law judge and served as counsel to the NLRB chairman.

Hayes will be based in the firm's Washington office.

Ogletree Deakins is a labor and employment firm that represents management. The firm has 650 attorneys in the United States and Europe.

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