Politics as Usual – Harry Reid Could Force Card Check Without Compromise
July 31, 2009
Majority Leader, Reid (D-Nev.) is scheming on behalf of labor bosses to force a vote on card check that would short circuit legislative procedures, according to the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace (CDW).
Under the card check provision of the Employee Free Choice Act, the National Labor Relations Board would be required to certify the union without a secret-ballot election, if labor representatives obtain signatures from 51% of the company's workforce. This would effectively remove the secret-ballot election process from the workplace and union organizing elections.
Despite talk of a possible compromise that would drop the card check provision while keeping other key items such as a binding arbitration, Reid reportedly is crafting a new strategy to force the legislation through in its original form. As confirmed by a roll call report, the idea is to avoid a long, drawn out discussion. What the Democrats want to do is provide a bill, get it to the floor and get it passed before anyone can mobilize against it.
As we have reported, forced card check coupled with the job killing binding interest arbitration provisions suggest that the EFCA still remains politically toxic, despite efforts to produce what appears to be a one-sided compromise. Reid's plan would deny fellow lawmakers the opportunity to review the legislation, particularly any new items that are inserted as part of a compromise. The process would skip the committee meetings, there would be no hearings and there would be no mark up and no opportunity for anyone to properly analyze the bill or make changes to it. This takes out the deliberation and will deny politicians on both sides to properly vet the bill.
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the bill's lead sponsor, continues in search of a compromise bill that can gain 60 votes in the Senate. And the SEIU President, Andy Stern, is not relenting on his demand that there be an up or down Congressional vote on card check.
SESCO urges clients to continue to communicate with their Congressmen and Senators as well as maintain activity in state and local Chambers of Commerce in opposition to this job killer's bill. Please contact SESCO to receive a copy of our new manual, How to Prevent and Combat Unionization Successfully and to discuss other proactive, preventative strategies.
