Despite the backing of President Barack Obama and congressional leaders, plus a multimillion-dollar union advertising blitz, Senate leaders can’t muster the 60 votes they need to avoid a GOP filibuster on labor’s top priority: the Employee Free Choice Act.
So a group of Senate Democrats is reportedly considering dropping the bill’s controversial “card check” provision to break the legislative impasse. That will help, but other formidable obstacles lie in the path of long-overdue changes in U.S. labor law.
So what is EFCA without card check?
its like herb without THC
its like coffee without caffeine
its like freedom without forty acres and a mule
(reasonable and non-comical discussions about the actual ramifications of or the remaining provisions of the bill are welcome as well)
well, thank god andy stern is on top of this development....
"Unions OK drop of 'card check' in bill "Union leaders present at the talks have included AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, Service Employees International Union president Andy Stern and Communications Workers of America president Larry Cohen.
A compromise would allow unions to get a vote on something that can pass and achieve some goals.
Without better protection from employer anti-union campaigns unions will not gain anything. It is hard to see how EFCA w/o card check still moves that ball...
4 comments:
Get with the program, EZ, it "majority recognition." Anyways, be that as it may, I'm not broken up about it being dropped. I think there's plenty of other good things in it, like beefing up actual penalties for corporations that violate existing labor law, shortening the time between filing for elections and elections (I think they're talking about mandating an election in 5-10 days), and binding first contract arbitration.
I tend to look at it as a burrito without the guacamole. Not perfect, but better a big step forward.
EFCA w/o Card Check is like representative democracy w/o campaign finance reform?
Wobs- I have first hand experience with serious union busting, and I support the provisions that would speed up the election process, and add in binding arbitration. BUT, I am not convinced they will stay in the final version.
Also, the real problem is not so much the laws (although they could be stronger), it is the NLRB, and their weak ass rulings....
Jason--excellent response... you have filled in the blanks, and given an excellent explanation why card check didn't survive...
I agree with Wobs, by the way. Binding arbitration is a pretty big freaking deal.
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