Democrats Betray Labor: EFCA Card Check is Pronouced Dead

[240 is Back]

Weekend Edition
May 22-24, 2009

Democrats Betray Labor
Card Check is Pronouced Dead
By DAVID MACARAY

Earlier this week it was acknowledged by labor officials and Democratic insiders that the EFCA (Employee Free Choice Act), as presently written, wasn’t going to pass. While the bill may be reintroduced in a different form, the crucial “card check” component has been pronounced dead. Although labor wonks across the country were disappointed by the news, most weren’t surprised by it.

Despite all the hoopla and anticipation, skeptics had predicted long ago that this ambitious bill, which would have provided working people with far greater access to labor unions, had virtually no chance of passing. Why? Because it was too explicitly “pro-labor.”

Big Business and the Democratic Party (despite its lip service) simply couldn’t allow legislation this progressive to become law. Not for nothing has Taft-Hartley remained on the books for 62 years.

So who do we blame for the defeat? Obviously, when something as big and expensive and widely publicized as the EFCA falls on its face, somebody has to be held accountable. In truth, organized labor seems the likeliest candidate.

Not only was labor unable to speak with one voice (e.g., UNITE HERE’s battle, SEIU’s leadership scandals, Change to Win’s breakaway from the AFL-CIO, et al), but they once again allowed themselves to be sweet-talked and misled by the Democrats. Yes, labor had on board its Russ Feingolds (D-WI) and Carl Levins (D-MI), but there were too many other DINOs (Democrats In Name Only) eager to jump ship.

Of course, we’re already hearing people say, “Wait til 2010,” suggesting the Democrats will pick up enough senate seats to have those 60 votes necessary for cloture. The problem with that logic is it assumes the Democrats want card check to pass. Alas, there’s little evidence to support that assumption.

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.counterpunch.org/macaray05222009.html 

[Soul Crusher]

YES!

[tu_holmes]

The Dems did the right thing.

[BM OUT]

FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS WOULD HAVE KILLED THE COUNTRY.NEXT UP CAP AND TRADE!!!!!!!!!!

[240 is Back]

obama knew this shit would never pass.  But he gave it a chance, to please the union guys whose $$ put him into office.  You scratch my back, I scratch yours...

cap and trade, still looks possible


Congress: Cap-n-trade passes committee (Dems assured Big Business bill will not hurt them)

Source: Politico

“A bill to create the first national limit on greenhouse-gas emissions was approved by a House committee yesterday after a week of late-night debates that cemented the shift of climate change from rhetorical jousting to a subject of serious, if messy, Washington policymaking,” the Washington Post reports. “The 33 to 25 vote was a major victory for House Democrats, who had softened and jury-rigged the bill to reassure manufacturers and utilities -- and members of their own party from the South and Midwest -- that they would not suffer greatly.”

More: “President Obama supports the bill, an aide said yesterday, though some provisions are weaker than what he advocated during the presidential campaign. In particular, Obama called for all pollution credits to be auctioned off by the government, but the House bill would give away about 85 percent of them. After that shift and a weakening of the bill's demands for new renewable electricity, the environmental group Greenpeace withdrew its support. But many environmental activists have accepted the changes.”

[Soul Crusher]

Cap & Trade is nothing but a huge tax increase on consumers to fund health care.  It has nothing to do with the environment whatsoever.