By David J. Sanders
With tensions mounting in Washington as business and labor groups increase pressure on Arkansas’ two U.S. senators in anticipation of vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, there are subtle hints that Sen. Blanche Lincoln may be preparing to vote “no.”
And, Arkansas’ lawmakers may soon enter the fray by weighing in on the controversial legislation in an attempt to turn up the heat on the state’s congressional delegation.
If passed, EFCA, also known as “card check,” would allow union officials to bypass existing laws governing the process of how and when a union can be established, and allow them to set up a union by simply obtaining signatures from a majority of workers on authorization cards.
Supporters contend the current labor law, which requires a secret ballot vote by workers to form a union, is outdated. Opponents counter that changing the law would open the door for union officials to coerce workers into signing the cards and, in turn, lead to mass unionization of the country’s businesses and industries.
In spite of Arkansas’ right-to-work status and its insignificant union membership, Sens. Mark Pryor and Lincoln have emerged as two of the swing votes that will either help or hinder Majority Leader Harry Reid’s effort to reach the 60 votes needed for passage. Reid and other Democratic leaders promised labor unions quick action on the EFCA, but that could be in jeopardy.
Even though Lincoln hasn’t officially signaled which way she intends to vote, she may be edging closer to voting against it.
The senator’s campaign staff has been busy making phone calls trying to round up support for her second re-election campaign in anticipation her March 14 fund-raiser with Vice President Joe Biden. At least two times when individuals who were called expressed apprehension about Lincoln’s indecisiveness on EFCA, they were told in response not to worry about that.
Lincoln’s possible new direction makes sense. The co-host committee for her re-election kickoff reads like a virtual laundry list of business executives from industries opposing EFCA. A “no” vote from Lincoln would be major blow to the Democratic leadership and the White House, which strongly supports the legislation.
As for Pryor, after being a co-sponsor in the past, he said he would not attach his name to bill this time around. Pryor believes a compromise bill that both business and labor could agree to should emerge.
While Lincoln and Pryor are publicly uncommitted, members of the state House of Representatives will soon have an opportunity to go on the record.
State Rep. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, will file a resolution calling on his colleagues to oppose “‘Card Check’ and Forced, Compulsory Binding Arbitration in Union Recognition Elections,” as stated in the title.
Even though the resolution wouldn’t require Gov. Mike Beebe’s signature, don’t look for the governor to mirror Washington Democrats. Beebe’s position, according to his spokesman, is that “now is not the time to address the card check issue given the current state of the American economy.”
King, the Republican leader in the House, has all of his GOP lawmakers on board, but he also has 12 Democratic co-sponsors for his toughly worded resolution. If passed by the House, the resolution would provide Lincoln more needed cover from her Democratic leadership and out-of-state unions. And, coming out against EFCA also could help her to fend off a potentially strong Republican opponent – something she likely has thought about.
——-
David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is the host of Arkansas Education Television Network’s “Unconventional Wisdom.” His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Wouldn’t shifting her position mean that she had actually taken one?
March 5th, 2009 at 7:06 am
I don’t know who you have to be to get a “don’t worry” from Blanche Lincoln. Oh, wait, I remember now:
Stephens Group $30,900
DaVita Inc $29,500
Wal-Mart Stores $25,800
Tyson Foods $24,750
Goldman Sachs $24,000
AT&T Inc $23,500
Weyerhaeuser Co $22,000
Entergy Corp $21,982
JPMorgan Chase & Co $21,857
Blue Cross/Blue Shield $21,000
Hartford Financial Services $20,500
Connell Co $20,000
Alltel Corp $19,500
National Thoroughbred Racing Assn $19,500
Bryan Cave LLP $19,000
College of American Pathologists $18,000
Acadian Ambulance Service $17,999
Pfizer Inc $17,500
National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn $17,249
Triad Hospitals $16,500
March 5th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
The criticism often made by Lincoln’s detractors is that she isn’t smart…politically speaking. I fundamentally reject the criticism. In fact, Lincoln has shown herself to be a fairly shrewd political operator who manages to get a lot of mileage out her eventual positions on controversial issues.
March 6th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Misdirected (or directionless) shrewdness is not helpful.
March 6th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
It’s never directionless
March 6th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Hard to decide which is worse.
March 9th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
It’s going to be a long next several years for business. It looks like at least 58 Senators (w/ Franken seated) support EFCA, and Nancy Pelosi could pass this in the House on her worst day with one hand tied behind her back. The President supports it, and you have to assume NLRB will be more and more labor friendly with each passing month under Obama. Republicans found a slippery parliamentary way to get Bush’s tax cuts through the Senate in 2001 without requiring 60 votes, I’ll bet Democrats and labor get crafty on this. Also, it looks like the big players undecided on this (Lincoln, Pryor, Spector, Landrieu) are all of the moderate type that would love to cut a deal. What do the 2010 Senate elections look like, it could get even harder for business, couldn’t it?
March 10th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I’m not comfortable making political predictions this far out — who knows what will happen in six months? That said, the Republicans are stuck and aren’t moving anytime soon, unless, of course, the President does something to help.