What Is Labor's Plan Now?
Okay, no surprise, the Employee Free Choice Act is dead. I've gotten no fewer than a dozen e-mails from various politicians and organizations, including the AFL-CIO and Change To win, hailing the Senate vote because a majority--51 senators--voted to let the bill proceed i.e., to cut off the filibuster. Here's what John Sweeney had to say:
That is all fine. But, what now? I support the idea that this vote should be used in campaigns in 2008 to try to unseat Republican incumbents. But, I'm skeptical the legislation will mean much out on the campaign trail--not to mention whether the Democrats will expand their majority in the Senate enough after the 2008 cycle to make a new outcome anymore likely. So, there needs to be a Plan B--EFCA will not become law in the near future.
I'll have more to say on that soon. Your thoughts?
Today's vote shows that a majority of the United States Senate supports changing the law to restore working people's freedom to make their own choice to join a union and bargain for a better life. That is a watershed achievement – one scarcely imagined just a couple of years ago – and an important step toward shoring up our nation's struggling middle class.
It is sad and shameful that Republican Senators chose to block the road to the middle class for millions of workers by throwing up procedural barricades from their minority position in Congress. Theirs is a stunt that working men and women will remember when they go to the ballot boxes in 2008, armed with the scorecard filled in by today's vote on the Employee Free Choice Act. The vote made clear exactly who is on the side of working families' dreams and economic opportunity – and who is siding with corporate America to block those opportunities.
Working families come out of this vote with growing momentum. Support is pouring in from working men and women as well as from 16 governors, state legislators and local officials from every state, religious leaders and other allies. AFL-CIO members and their families have made more than 50,000 phone calls, sent 156,000 faxes and emails, and 220,000 postcards on this issue. Fifty-five cities, counties and state legislatures have passed resolutions and 1300 state and local elected officials have pledged support for this legislation.
That is all fine. But, what now? I support the idea that this vote should be used in campaigns in 2008 to try to unseat Republican incumbents. But, I'm skeptical the legislation will mean much out on the campaign trail--not to mention whether the Democrats will expand their majority in the Senate enough after the 2008 cycle to make a new outcome anymore likely. So, there needs to be a Plan B--EFCA will not become law in the near future.
I'll have more to say on that soon. Your thoughts?
Comments
Labor bloviator recycles metaphors to save energy...
yea we need more labor jobs
Here's my five-point plan
- Strengthen the NLRA through a litigation strategy; see Prof. Ellen Dannin's excellent book, Taking Back the Worker's Law, for many more details
- Foster start-up unions like the Freelancers Union in NYC
- Expand to new industries, like online workers (see my post on organizing online workers last weekend: http://www.plantingliberally.org/node/263)
- Do better in online organizing. Use blogs, Facebook groups, and MySpace profiles to identify potential worksites where employees might want to organize.
- Pass labor reform in the states
I'm optimistic that EFCA will become law soon - the Democrats will almost certainly expand their Senate majority in the next cycle, and a Democratic president will sign EFCA, not to mention be able to pressure on-the-line Senators. But you're right, EFCA is not, by itself, an organizing strategy.big surprise
EFCA is already having an impact
The passage of EFCA is one step in a long process to labor law reform. The vote put the House and the Senate on record with a clear criticism of NLRB elections and support for card check. Even without a change in law, it legitimizes unions’ demands for non-NLRB processes. I am already hearing reports about how useful it is in organizing drives in helping workers understand the importance of fighting for card check and not filing for a board election. It should be just as useful in building community support. Card check is not some crazy idea of the union—even the U.S. Congress agrees. This is not a small thing.