The Change to Win Coalition is priming a huge nationwide push to ensure that President Elect Obama passes the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in his first 100 days in office.
Kasie Hunt at CongressDaily writes:
The union political coalition Change to Win is priming a nationwide campaign to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act "card check" legislation in the first 100 days of the Obama administration, union officials said today. "We intend to have a campaign all across this country, all 50 states, all congressional districts ... and we intend to win passage of the Free Choice Act," said Tom Woodruff, Service Employees International Union executive vice president and Change to Win organizing director.
Card check would enable workers to unionize without a secret-ballot election if a majority of workers sign authorization cards. It will depend on the Senate, where Democrats are short of the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster. When asked if that meant unions should not spend money and political capital on card check in the first 100 days, Change to Win Chairwoman and SEIU Treasurer Anna Burger responded sharply: "No. Is that clear enough?"
Democrats had 51 votes in favor of card check in 2007. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was the sole Republican defector and Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota did not vote. With 57 seats now in Democratic hands, a unified majority would need Specter and two more Republicans to pass the legislation. "I think there are a number of Republicans, in order to save our economy, [who] can be brought around to supporting" card check, Woodruff said. Unions have been selling card check as legislation good for the middle class, an argument business groups worry will have resonance during difficult economic times. The Chamber of Commerce spent millions running ads against card check in advance of the elections.
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