Employee ‘Free Choice’ is dead (for now)

(The Patriot Post) - In the shadow of a heated immigration debate, labor unions and their allies were dealt another blow as S. 1041, the ridiculously misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act,” failed to attain cloture in the Senate. The legislation would have allowed union recognition once it was ascertained that a majority of employees at a place of business signed cards recognizing a union. While unions cited this as de facto proof that representation was desired, business groups charged that not allowing the secrecy of the union vote could lead to bullying and intimidation of employees to sign the union cards. According to government statistics, unions win only about three fifths of representation votes.

By maintaining near-perfect party unity and not allowing 60 votes for the measure, the minority Republicans effectively kept debate open on the bill, which forced it to be dropped. Only Sen. Arlen Specter (RINO-PA) voted with the 50 Democrats who were present for cloture. Still, Democrats vow to keep trying. “We will keep coming back [with a similar bill] year after year after year,” threatened Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). A similar bill passed the House back in March, with 13 cowardly Republicans, mostly from union states, joining all but two Democrats to back the bill.