UPDATE (actually other updates below, but this one should go at the top): Here is the PASS EFCA NOW!! bumper sticker from the AFL-CIO store. h/t FakeNews
It appears that Sen. Harkin's office announced that Sen. Specter is willing to switch back to supporting EFCA.
A spokesperson for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the lead sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, confirmed today that an agreement is near that will allow Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) to return to his earlier position of support for the legislation.
Perhaps all the anger and outrage about his multiple betrayals and the primary threats are working!
More below the fold...
Okay folks, this is encouraging, although I must say I find it difficult to trust Specter in any way. Before I provide the rest of the info here, I'd should mention that it is best we keep up pressure for a possible primary until Specter actually physically casts a vote for EFCA, or until EFCA actually passes.
Specter, originally a co-sponsor of the bill, announced on March 24 that he had switched to the opposition. At the time, as a Republican senator, he was under pressure from business lobbyists and right-wing Republicans lining up against him in that party’s coming primary election.
Since then he switched to the Democratic Party, and today he signaled his willingness to switch back to the pro-union side on the Employee Free Choice Act. He said, "I’m opposed to giving up the secret ballot or mandatory arbitration, as they are set forth in the bill, but I do believe that labor law reform is past overdue."
Harkin confirmed, early this morning, that "Senator Specter’s staff and my staff have been working diligently over the last several days to get everything ready."
Ah, so perhaps they are planning to undercut Labor and the bill by compromising:
Harkin was not specific about any particular compromises in the bill that he was willing to make. When a message was left on his answering machine, asking for confirmation of a Bloomberg news report that giving up majority signup was a "possibility," Harkin’s spokesperson quickly returned the call and insisted there would be "no compromise on any of the core principles."
Majority sign-up is considered the heart of the bill because it would remove the choice of how to recognize unions – sign-up by a majority of workers or an election – from the employers, who now make that choice, and give it, instead, to the workers. By choosing union representation through majority sign-up, workers reduce the ability of employers to harass, threaten and fire union supporters during a protracted election process.
Ha! Sounds promising so far!
More details as they come out...
In the meantime, contact Sen. Specter's office and let them know you want him to support card-check! No compromises!
UPDATE: Thanks to Phil S for this comment noting that Harkin recently said card check could (or will) be compromised out of the bill (I'd also like to note the WalMart ad at the top when I went to the link [vomit]):
"Compromises are going to be made," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) told Bloomberg News. "It [the bill] probably won�t be card-check because too many people are opposed to it now."
This is a legit concern. Sen. Nelson and Sen. Lincoln are both Dems that have declared their willingness to stab labor in the back over this. However, I would say that they made those recent statements prior to Specter's party sitch and likely thought they didn't have the votes to overcome a filibuster and were trying to prevent a potentially damaging fight. Yes, that's their job, but they are creatures of FAIL so I'm trying to rationalize our next move here. Also, if you note in the original article, the following passage:
A source in one of the building trades unions told the World last week, for example, that senators were sent letters proposing that a box could be added to the majority sign-up card, and the card would ask the worker filling it out to check the box if he or she wanted the issue to be decided by secret ballot.
In other words, as many Kossacks have mentioned below, there is a distinct possibility that we could make some minor changes or cosmetic changes to this bill and give the Blue Dogs their chance to say they forced a compromise and then vote for cloture. I am optimistic on today's news still, despite Specter's sliminess. This news opens new opportunities and I say it's a good excuse for a second wind from the Progressive-Labor alliance!
And now back to our regularly scheduled program....
Update 2: Thanks for the recs! I wish I had such good news to report every day :) Good discussions going on the comments on primaries and the benefits of card check, etc.
As far as primaries go, I am somewhat split. On the one hand I am inclined to support a primary because I think we have plenty of better Dems in that state who can win, etc. More and better Dems, as the saying goes.
On the other hand, I think if Specter really does come around and support the Left-wing position on EFCA, Public Option, supporting Obama, etc., then showing that he will be supported for making those changes (even though he cannot be trusted at the moment) will reflect well on the party and may convince other Repubs (I'm thinking of a certain Maine Senator) to come aboard as well, knowing they will be welcome and safe here, so long as they toe the line and are decently loyal.
Either way though, as I said above, we should keep up the primary threats for now until EFCA and Public Option and everything else we need are actually law.
And now back...
Update 3: Ah, I see some anti-union trolls are making a comfortable home in the comments! At least I hope they are trolls, because I fear for the future of the Progressive movement if honest Kossacks are so actively against EFCA and card check. Rather than take time answering each comment below individually with the many facts and extensive evidence on why card check is necessary for not only a free work place, but a healthy democracy, I will instead provide you with a link from the source itself to speak for me. 38 Pages of Pro-union facts, arguments and statistics. Enjoy!.
Update 4: Several things since I went to sleep last night -
1) Tom Ridge is out. However, he chose an interesting moment to do so. Perhaps he was just a ploy to push Specter more to the Left, with the Right hoping that would make Specter less electable. However, I doubt that since the last thing the Right wants is to breathe air into the EFCA.
2) There has been a lot of framing discussing in the comments. I actually don't have a problem with the term "card check" since I know union activists that use it, but the Right has made it their favorite term on this issue. Instead, I suggest we use the term "Majority Sign-up" as it emphasizes that it is a MAJORITY of workers, and that they are actively signing on to have a union.
3) YES, LABOR IS A LITMUS TEST. Some are questioning Unions and their faith behind other causes on the Left. Look folks, the Labor movement IS the Left in the same way that you are you because you have a skeleton. There are other important causes in the Progressive movement, obviously, but the champions of every single one of those causes in Congress and the White House and anywhere else would not hold office without labor's support. That's not an opinion, it's a fact. The less you support labor on this bill, especially majority signup, the more you hurt your own pet cause. Also many of you are using Right-wing talking apoints to try and say being against Majority sign up is still pro-worker. That's bullshit.