WASHINGTON — Business and organized labor unleashed what each called its biggest lobbying effort in history on Tuesday as Democrats in the House and Senate introduced legislation that would make it far easier for workers to unionize. þþTheir target: a handful of moderate Democrats and Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania. þþTom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa and one of the bill’s chief sponsors in the Senate, said it was not clear the measure had enough support to overcome a Republican filibuster there. þþLabor leaders hoped a two-pronged strategy would get at least every Senate Democrat to back the bill: President Obama’s full-throated support and letters, e-mail messages, phone calls and visits to inundate lawmakers.þþIf passed, the law would make the biggest changes in the nation’s labor laws since 1935. Organized labor has called it the No. 1 legislative priority. Corporate America has vowed to defeat it.þþThe United States Chamber of Commerce and other business groups worry that if passed the legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act, would lead to unions adding millions of workers. Labor sees the bill as vital to reversing decades of declining membership and power.þþThe lobbying battle reached new heights on Tuesday as 180 business owners and executives descended on Capitol Hill to meet with swing senators, and more than 250 union leaders and members met with Senate and House members. þþAt a news conference, Senator Harkin and George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, announced that they were introducing the bill in their respective chambers, saying it would help rebuild the middle class.þþMr. Miller, Democrat of California, said he had 223 co-sponsors, including three Republicans, meaning the bill had majority support in the House. Mr. Harkin said the bill had 40 co-sponsors in the Senate, down from 46 in the previous Congress. þþRepublican and business strategists said some former co-sponsors felt they had a free pass to back the bill when President Bush appeared likely to veto it. But now that the bill appears to have a real chance of passage, they said, some moderate senators, heavily lobbied by business, are backing off the bill, worried that it might hurt or anger their business constituents.þþThe lobbying is focusing on eight or so Senate Democrats and Senator Specter, whose votes are seen as up for grabs. The Democrats include Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, both of Arkansas, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Warner of Virginia.þþ“I don’t notice shrinking support,” Mr. Harkin said when asked about the declining number of co-sponsors. “I think the votes are there. I think the support is there.” He said minor modifications might be needed to ensure enough support.þþThe Democrats have 56 Senate seats and can usually count on two independents, and if Al Franken of Minnesota is seated, that would give Democrats 59 seats. So if just one or two Democrats oppose the bill, labor would have a hard time mustering the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. þþTo reach 60, the Democrats are counting on Mr. Specter, who once co-sponsored the bill, but no longer does. If he backs the bill, he risks angering Republicans, which could hurt him if he faces a conservative in a primary. But opposing the bill in his union-friendly Democratic state could jeopardize his re-election in the general campaign. þþ“I’m hearing a lot of lobbying both ways,” Mr. Specter said in an interview. “I’m going to give everybody a chance to be heard before I vote.” þþLike other Republicans, Mr. Specter has voiced concern that the bill would mean unions would generally bypass secret ballot elections in organizing drives. þþThe bill would let workers choose whether to unionize through secret ballot votes or card checks in which workers obtain union recognition as soon as a majority of employees at a workplace sign union cards. Current law permits management to insist on a secret ballot, which often lets companies campaign for a month or more against unionization.þþCongressional Democrats and union leaders refused to discuss what modifications or compromises they might accept to win passage if the current version does not overcome a filibuster.þþ“I don’t know that anybody is in the mood to compromise,” Mr. Specter said.þþEach side predicted victory.þþ“We’re seeing flagging support for card check against rapidly building intensity against the bill,” said Steven J. Law, the Chamber of Commerce’s general counsel “We’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll defeat it, but no one is hanging up the Mission Accomplished banner.”þþBill Samuel, the A.F.L.-C.I.O’s legislative director, said, “We’re confident it will pass the Senate and be signed by the president.”þþHe added: “I’m not surprised that some senators are saying they’re undecided because they’re getting attacked back home. It’s not unusual for a senator to say they’re undecided leading to a key vote.”þþ
Source: NY Times
