Secret Ballot Watch

Predicting the fate of the Employee Free Choice Act has been difficult lately for the act’s supporters.  

Senate Democrats were once quite confident the act could pass and become law. After all, on paper, they had the 60 votes needed to stop a filibuster of the job-killing bill. Indeed, EFCA’s chances seemed sunny.  

But then clouds began to appear on the horizon: It turned out that several Democrats had misgivings about the bill – enough to jeopardize the once easy win. And EFCA supporters have been trying to win them back ever since.  

The Hill gives us the latest EFCA forecast in an interview with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, an EFCA supporter who’s trying to work out a compromise:  

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“In an interview with The Hill, Brown said he’s not happy with some of the changes, but that he’s working hard to lobby his Democratic colleagues — and even a few Republicans — to accept the compromise. He said he is not sure if the new version would have the 60 Senate votes necessary to beat back a filibuster. 

“‘I don’t know,’ Brown said. ‘It’s not clear to me that we have everybody’s vote yet.’ 

“But Brown expressed confidence that Congress will at some point move the union bill — if not this year, then next — saying senators have made progress on negotiating a new version of the bill.  

“‘I think this is going to happen at some point,’ Brown said. ‘There is a decent chance it will happen this year.’” 

Bogardus, “Key Dems confident card-check will pass,” The Hill, 10.01.09

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So let’s see: A key EFCA negotiator who is “not happy” with the compromise bill doesn’t know if he has enough supporters yet, but says there is a “decent chance” a vote will happen this year – maybe.

That’s not exactly fair legislative weather, but it’s just as well: The Employee Free Choice Act has been a looming thunderstorm over the country’s economy from the start. No amount of dressing up, compromise, or backroom dealing will make it any better. The act takes away jobs at a time when the country desperately needs them, forces government contracts on businesses, and sets aside the secret ballot for workers. It deserves to be scrapped.

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