Labor Relations 101

How Will President Elect Obama Handle The EFCA Issue?

Interesting post at Firedoglake.com.  Pachacutec asked a great question "Will A President Obama Fight for the Employee Free Choice Act?"

Let's explore this a bit...President Elect Obama is in a precarious position.  He entered into what some would say is a defining moment of leadership.  The economy is terrible; wall street is on a roller coaster ride; America is fighting two wars with Iran waiting in the wings; the jobless rate has reached a record high...need I go on?  President Elect Obama is literally poised to either sink or swim.  

Now, labor unions are pressing President Elect Obama to make the Employee Free Choice Act his number one priority when he gets to Washington.  

Obama's campaign was predicated upon bringing people together; it was a campaign of inclusivity; a promise of change that galvanized citizens of every walk of life both here and abroad.  And alas, those that were brought to the table now want their pound of flesh.  It is a widely known fact that labor unions were instrumental in organizing voters and signing up new voters.  Labor unions proved to be a formidable force largely because they are a built in demographic.  What do I mean by this?  Take a look at the demographic composition of any given union...there are Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Immigrants from every country imaginable, Males, Females and the list goes on.  This is part of the reason why unions are so valuable to the Democratic party. 

On the other hand, unions are starting to demonstrate that they are no longer willing to give their campaign dollars (to the tune of $400 million and counting) and man-power just to get a Democrat elected.  Now they want something in return.  They want the Employee Free Choice Act to be signed in the first 100 days of President Elect Obama's presidency.  They want the Secretary of the Department of Labor to be a pro-union leader.  Change to Win is marshalling a $100 million dollar media blitz to force Obama to sign the EFCA. Quite simply put...they want the access that many corporate leaders had during President Bush's tenure as president. 

President Elect Obama is on record as promising that the EFCA will be passed during his administration, and yet conversations regarding the EFCA have taken a back seat to the concerns of the nation and the world abroad.  I believe the world will give President Elect Obama a 6 month to 1 year grace period but I am starting to see more and more that organized labor is unwilling to extend him the same courtesy.  Part of this has to do with the fact that labor is decreasing in numbers and the prevailing thought is "it's either now or never."  Obama will have no choice but to give the unions the EFCA.  Too much has been promised and the Democratic party cannot afford to lose such a strong constituency which will be needed should Obama run for office in 2012. Mark my words...the EFCA will pass.  The question is are business entities prepared for a life that does not include the protections of a secret ballot election?

Change To Win Wages Nationwide Campaign For EFCA

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.