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Moderates Lining Up Against 'Card Check'
By Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin
Opponents of the federal Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) include several moderate senators, both Democrats and Republicans. The bipartisan nature of the opposition may make the legislation, desperately desired by labor unions, tough to enact.
If passed, the legislation, also known as “card check,” would allow union officials to bypass existing laws governing the process whereby union representation enters a workplace and permits unions to organize simply by obtaining signatures from a majority of workers who sign authorization cards.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could have a tough time getting moderate Blue Dog Democrats to support the union-backed legislation more commonly known as card check.
Support among six senators, including Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who is a key vote, is faltering. The Pennsylvania moderate voted for it in 2007. But the he was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying, “I’m still thinking about it. I’m being lobbied on it very, very heavily.”
Another senator on the fence is Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln. In an interview Monday, the Democratic lawmaker said, “I have 90,000 Arkansans who need a job, that’s my No. 1 priority.”
She referred to the legislation as “divisive.” Such controversy is not needed in today’s climate.
Ms. Lincoln’s Arkansas colleague, and fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor has also changed his mind as has Louisiana Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. All of these senators represent states that have electorates opposed to unions and could have tough re-election campaigns.
While President Barack Obama and congressional leaders Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., support the bill it is far from a fait accompli. Mr. Reid has the oppostion in the Senate, which could cause a filibuster and prevent passage. Ms. Pelosi has the Blue Dog Democrats in the House to contend with.
U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., is one the Blue Dogs, conservative Democrats, who oppose it. Mr. Berry recently had said that he thought the bill was a piece of junk and that he only voted for it in the past because he knew then-President George W. Bush would veto it.
According to Mr. Berry, the Blue Dogs told House leadership that card check wasn’t a free vote for them anymore, and their constituents were giving them a lot of grief over the issue. They urged the House leadership not to bring this bill back up on the House floor until the Senate had passed something first.
Republicans opposition is also moving forward.
On February 25, U.S. Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., introduced the Secret Ballot Protection Act (SBPA), legislation is designed to guarantee American workers a secret ballot election on whether to join a union. The act has 16 original co-sponsors, all Republican.
Similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. John Kline, R-Minn., Tom Price, R-Ga., and Buck McKeon, R-Calif., with over 100 co-sponsors.
The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to recognize, or bargain with, a union that has not been selected by a majority of employees in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It also would make it an unfair labor practice for a union to cause or attempt to cause an employer to recognize or bargain with a union that has not been selected in a secret ballot NLRB election.
The SBPA is meant as a counter to the proposed Employee Free Choice Act, which would amend the NLRA to require the NLRB to certify a union as a representative of employees if a majority of employees sign union authorization cards. The act would effectively eliminate NLRB conducted secret ballot elections.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
If passed, the legislation, also known as “card check,” would allow union officials to bypass existing laws governing the process whereby union representation enters a workplace and permits unions to organize simply by obtaining signatures from a majority of workers who sign authorization cards.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could have a tough time getting moderate Blue Dog Democrats to support the union-backed legislation more commonly known as card check.
Support among six senators, including Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who is a key vote, is faltering. The Pennsylvania moderate voted for it in 2007. But the he was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying, “I’m still thinking about it. I’m being lobbied on it very, very heavily.”
Another senator on the fence is Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln. In an interview Monday, the Democratic lawmaker said, “I have 90,000 Arkansans who need a job, that’s my No. 1 priority.”
She referred to the legislation as “divisive.” Such controversy is not needed in today’s climate.
Ms. Lincoln’s Arkansas colleague, and fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor has also changed his mind as has Louisiana Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. All of these senators represent states that have electorates opposed to unions and could have tough re-election campaigns.
While President Barack Obama and congressional leaders Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., support the bill it is far from a fait accompli. Mr. Reid has the oppostion in the Senate, which could cause a filibuster and prevent passage. Ms. Pelosi has the Blue Dog Democrats in the House to contend with.
U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., is one the Blue Dogs, conservative Democrats, who oppose it. Mr. Berry recently had said that he thought the bill was a piece of junk and that he only voted for it in the past because he knew then-President George W. Bush would veto it.
According to Mr. Berry, the Blue Dogs told House leadership that card check wasn’t a free vote for them anymore, and their constituents were giving them a lot of grief over the issue. They urged the House leadership not to bring this bill back up on the House floor until the Senate had passed something first.
Republicans opposition is also moving forward.
On February 25, U.S. Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., introduced the Secret Ballot Protection Act (SBPA), legislation is designed to guarantee American workers a secret ballot election on whether to join a union. The act has 16 original co-sponsors, all Republican.
Similar legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. John Kline, R-Minn., Tom Price, R-Ga., and Buck McKeon, R-Calif., with over 100 co-sponsors.
The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make it an unfair labor practice for an employer to recognize, or bargain with, a union that has not been selected by a majority of employees in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It also would make it an unfair labor practice for a union to cause or attempt to cause an employer to recognize or bargain with a union that has not been selected in a secret ballot NLRB election.
The SBPA is meant as a counter to the proposed Employee Free Choice Act, which would amend the NLRA to require the NLRB to certify a union as a representative of employees if a majority of employees sign union authorization cards. The act would effectively eliminate NLRB conducted secret ballot elections.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be contacted at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
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Brittanicus wrote on Mar 11, 2009 3:48 PM:
All spending bills in the Stimulus or Omnibus bill to assist jobless American Workers seem insignificant, when Democratic leaders left in a giant loophole so millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS can steal jobs?
REMEMBER THESE NAMES..?
Sen.Harry Reid (D-NV) arch enemy of American workers, committed the ultimate sin today Reid and 49 Democrats blocked E-Verify in the Senate. Their disloyal actions shall be well remembered, when the grovel for re-election. They condemned hundreds of thousands in the construction industry, having to compete over jobs. Parasites are organisms that live of a host and that is what contractors will do, when they look for the cheapest labor they can find. Starting with the stimulus, then followed by the Omnibus spending plan this Senators blocked E-Verify.
Akaka (D-HI) Inouye (D-HI),Begich (D-AK),Bennet (D-CO) Udall (D-CO),Bingaman (D-NM) Udall(D-NM),Boxer (D-CA) Feinstein (D-CA),Brown (D-OH),Burris (D-IL) Durbin (D-IL),Byrd (D-WV) Rockefeller (D-WV),Cantwell (D-WA) Murray,(D-WA),Cardin (D-MD) Mikulski (D-MD),Carper (D-DE) Kaufman (D-DE),Casey (D-PA),Conrad (D-ND) Dorgan (D-ND),Dodd (D-CT) Lieberman.
Here's more Senators who killed E-Verify Here's more (ID-CT),Feingold (D-WI) Kohl (D-WI),Gillibrand (D-NY) Schumer (D-NY),Hagan (D-NC),Harkin (D-IA),Johnson (D-SD),Kerry (D-MA),Landrieu (D-LA),Shaheen (D-NH),Leahy (D-VT) Sanders (I-VT),Levin (D-MI) Stabenow (D-MI),Lincoln (D-AR) Pryor (D-AR),Menendez (D-NJ) Lautenberg (D-NJ),Merkley (D-OR) Wyden (D-OR),Nelson (D-FL),Reed (D-RI) Whitehouse (D-RI),Reid (D-NV) and Warner (D-VA).
They sold the American Worker out for campaign money from corporate lobbyists and open border fanatics. In this miserable time of unemployment and uncertainty from the janitor, to the computer programmer you will be REMEMBERED. You will not escape your insult to the American worker, who depends on your honesty to vote on their behalf. You have now proved the dimensions of how far you will go, to keep the illegal alien invasion crossing our borders, overstaying their ship or plane visa. The corruption so deeply instilled in the Washington elite. ASK JUDICIALWATCH? The billions of tax dollars taken from every, man, woman and child, to support the welfare of illegal aliens. Like Pearl harbor we will not forget the traitors who swore to uphold their allegiance to THE PEOPLE. "