Senator Webb's office says not the time for EFCA.

[madfloridian]

I am getting concerned about the ability of our Democrats to keep up their support for our labor force. I know that recently Blanche Lincoln spoke out against it. I am not sure who else is speaking against supporting it.

I am surprised at this. This seems like a very good time to me. We are not going to have a majority like this for too long most likely.

From The Plum Line:

Another Key Dem Senator Won’t Say Whether He’ll Cast Key Vote For EFCA

This one is very, very bad news for the Employee Free Choice Act: Senator Jim Webb, who was thought by labor to be supportive of the measure, now won’t say whether he’ll cast a key vote for it. Worse, his office says he views this as a bad time to be introducing the legislation — a potentially serious blow, because Webb is generally seen as strong on labor issues.

“He doesn’t believe this is the appropriate time to introduce this legislation or to be debating it,” Webb spokesperson Jessica Smith confirms to me. “He’s always been a strong supporter of the right to collective bargaining, but as written, he would look towards improving the legislation in a way to make it more fair and equitable.”

In another blow, Webb’s also won’t say whether he’ll support bringing it to the floor for debate. “He’s not publicly going to say at this point,” his spokesperson said.

That could be a big deal, because the initial “cloture” vote to allow the bill to be debated, thus overcoming the GOP’s filibuster, is the one that requires 60 votes in the Senate. Labor, obviously, can ill afford to lose another Dem like Webb, particularly with another reliable backer, Senator Dianne Feinstein, also refusing to say whether she’ll back it.

So Webb’s position will cause some serious heartburn in labor circles.

Surprising.

[FLAprogressive]

1. When will labor realized that they've been used, much like the GLBT community?

[DeepBlueC]

4. I think you are right

[FLAprogressive]

9. It's about time that the unions tell the party to shit or get off the pot....

I don't see an inside-the-beltway one like AFSCME doing it but I see one like SEIU sticking it to these assholes.

[teamster633]

32. For too many years,

we've been stuck in an impossible position. The Dems give us lip service while the 'Cons demonize us. Unfortunately, the Dems are fully aware of the fact that we realistically have nowhere else to go because, although they won't fight to get us what we want, the 'Cons fight actively and tirelessly against everything we stand for. Having to choose between the lesser of two evils would seem to be our lot for the foreseeable future.

[madfloridian]

2. Delete, responded to wrong post.

.

[FLAprogressive]

5. delete

[DeepBlueC]

3. rats

Republicans held together for any kind of crap...what is wrong with us?

[rwheeler31]

6. This is disgusting.

[unkachuck]

7. another worthless Dem....n/t

[mvd]

8. "more fair and equitable"

That seems code for it's not business-friendly enough.

[Mojambo]

10. Wrong time... Maybe after wages stagnate for another 25 fucking years.

This thing doesn't have a prayer.

[Better Believe It]

15. The Republicans don't have to filibuster against EFCA. The mere threat is sufficient to have ....

Senate Democrats withdraw the legislation.

Or the Republicans will be permitted to engage in a fake filibuster that they can call-in and never be required to take the floor and hold it in opposition to a up and down vote.

We've been down that road before.

It looks like we're seeing a rerun of the 1994 S-1 Senate Striker Replacement bill when the Democrats controlled Congress and the White House.


Senate Republicans Deal A Major Defeat to Labor
By CATHERINE S. MANEGOLD,
New York Times
July 13, 1994


Handing organized labor a major defeat, Senate Republicans today blocked passage of a bill that would have made it illegal for employers to hire permanent replacements for workers striking over wages and benefits. Republican threats to filibuster the bill, which passed the House comfortably last year, led Senate leaders to schedule today's vote over whether to cut off debate.

The bill, called the Striker Replacement Act in the House but renamed the Worker Fairness Act in the Senate to mute conservative opposition, was at the top of organized labor's legislative agenda and was a Labor Department priority under Secretary Robert B. Reich.

Despite early and consistent backing by President Clinton, however, it never inspired the midnight phone calls and political arm twisting that the White House has lavished on other difficult political issues like the North American Free Trade Agreement or last year's budget.

Since even the hint of a filibuster can move the Senate toward a cloture vote, which calls for a wider margin of victory than the passage of a bill does, the Republicans have found it an effective tactic in stalling or forcing changes in legislation that the party opposes but cannot defeat on a majority vote.

Supporters of the labor bill roundly attacked the threatened filibuster over the last two days, saying it prevented reasonable debate on a critical issue. Arguing that the allowance of permanent replacements nullifies other legal protections for strikers, Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, told the Senate that American workers were losing a basic right without a fair fight.

Speaking of the striker-replacement bill, David Westfall, a Harvard University law professor who specializes in labor and employment law, said, "This was labor's No. 1 priority, and if they could not pull this off even with a Democratic President who said he would sign it, then I think the whole striker-replacement issue is dead."

You can read the full article at:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...754C0A962958260

[madfloridian]

19. Thanks for that article. Deja vu.

Not much else to say.

If we can't pull it off with this majority....we might as well give up.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Then when? When is the "right time"?

When corporate profits are at their highest? That usually happens after a major layoff, doesn't it?

I can't imagine why anyone would be against "FREE CHOICE" in the workplace, the "FC" in the EFCA.

[ProSense]

12. After prison reform and decriminalizing pot.

I guess?

[noamnety]

13. Well, now is obviously not the right time to introduce it.

not when we control the presidency, the house and the senate.

:sarcasm:

[Canuckistanian]

14. God forbid

I often wonder who these people think they're working for.

[Better Believe It]

21. When they have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate, that would be about 80 Senators

since a lot of Democratic Senators will join Republican Senator in opposing EFCA.

You really didn't expect any significant pro-union and pro-worker legislation from Wall Streets political whores in Congress, did you?

[Canuckistanian]

24. No, I guess not

Whores don't care about their clients.

Bad for business.

[brentspeak]

16. I'm going to call his office and let him know how disgusted I am about this

Hopefully, if enough people pressure him on this, he'll get off his butt and do the right thing.

[Thrill]

17. Democrats aren't going to touch this until the mid terms are over.

.

[Better Believe It]

20. So if they can just have 80 Democrats in the Senate it might be passed ....

well, probably not.

[Thrill]

25. No I don't think its that. Its the fear of it costing them seats. Everything doesn't have to be done

now. Obama is president for more than one yr.

[StreetKnowledge]

18. Pass it, Jackasses

I think us people with common sense are not wanting to see another 30+ years of wages going nowhere. You may never get the chance you have now ever again. Don't waste your time, and fuck the Republicans - they aren't supporting you anyways.

[burning rain]

22. Not the "appropriate time," oh brother.

What a weaselly answer. Besides being morally right, standing up for the legitimate interests of working people is politically right for Democrats.

[autorank]

23. Is anyone surprised? n/t

[Citizen Worker]

26. When will Labor quit kissing the ass of the democrats???

Instead of working so hard and contributing enormous sums of
money to the hapless democrats that can rarely be counted on
to work on behalf of workers those resources and volunteers
should be working to form a political party of, by and for
Labor.

NAFTA, GATT, WTO, millions of jobs lost and median incomes
stagnant for 35 years aided and abetted by democrats and now
Obama is backpedalling on his campaign promise to renegotiate
NAFTA to include Labor and environmental standards.

Had enough yet?

[bbgrunt]

27. this is so frustrating. I was impressed with

Webb's response to the Bush speech and he sounded like he was very concerned about the income disparity in this country. WTF is wrong with these people? I guess they are all lying politicians. With these kind of people in office it will never get any better. It is truly just a Kabuki dance they are giving us to keep us distracted until they can steal ALL the money.

Washington is a toxic waste of sliming fuckwads.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. ah time to quote kennedy on this

If you make peaceful change impossible... you make violent revolution inevitable. ...

[MilesColtrane]

29. Payback because unions didn't contribute much to Webb this election cycle?

Industry Donation % of total
Ideology/Single-Issue $996,527 25.8 %
Other $854,662 22.2 %
Lawyers & Lobbyists $566,179 14.7 %
Finance/Insur/RealEst $511,061 13.3 %
Communic/Electronic $294,067 7.6 %
Misc Business $242,610 6.3 %
Health $126,069 3.3 %
Energy/Nat Resource $62,750 1.6 %
Defense $54,514 1.4 %
Construction $49,740 1.3 %
Labor $38,100 1.0 %
Agribusiness $36,850 1.0 %
Transportation $23,100 0.6 %
Total: $3,856,229

Looks like Reagan's Navy Secretary still has some not-so-latent Republican tendencies left.

Fucker.

[starroute]

30. Nothing happened in the 30's without labor rising up on its own

It might take a little 30's-style direct action to get things happening again.

On edit: Anybody up for a chorus of "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night"? Maybe with a chaser of "There Once Was a Union Maid"?

[rg302200]

31. What the hell man?

Am I stuck in some weird vortex where everything I see and hear from Democrat's sound Republican in nature? First Obama said he didn't want to re-do NAFTA now this? DAMN!

[madfloridian]

33. kick

[OwnedByFerrets]

34. Waiting for more wind to blow, you chickenshit?

[annabanana]

35. I'm sending this to ed@msnbc . . He's a big Union supporter..

This story seems to be right up his alley.

[madfloridian]

36. I forgot Feinstein...Hagan, Warner, Bennet. Maybe others.

http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=8426&catid=4&volume_id=398&issue_id=428&volume_num=43&issue_num=30

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein has an 87 percent lifetime voting record from the AFL-CIO and has co-sponsored EFCA in the past. But now, with EFCA finally within reach, she has announced that she is looking for a "less divisive" option.

Say it isn't so, Senator.

For many years progressive activists have had concerns about Feinstein, even going as far as to seek her censure at a state Democratic convention two years ago. In 2007, the party leadership reminded the activists that although she may stray occasionally, Feinstein is really a good Democrat who shares our basic values and commitments. There was no censure.

But workers' rights is no side-issue in our Democratic Party. Economic justice is the issue. This is a moment of truth for Feinstein — and all of us who are her constituents have an obligation to help her get to the right answer."

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2009/04/internal_wfi_me.php

"• The labor bosses lost another vote when Senator Lincoln (D-AR) announced she would oppose the Employee 'Forced' Choice Act. And while Lincoln's announcement received significant amounts of coverage, comments by some of her colleagues expressing reservations about the legislation - and skepticism about its viability - received less attention. • Senator Bennet (D-CO) stated that, "there isn't something that can be passed" when speaking of the bill.

• Lincoln's colleague from Arkansas, Senator Pryor (D-AR) stated the legislation was "dead" as written.

• Even Senator Hagen (D-NC) - a public supporter of EFCA - said, "I do not think the votes are there to pass the bill."

• There was an interesting report from North Dakota where a state chamber president reported back from travel to the nation's capital saying, "based on the conversations we had, our delegation will not be voting for this piece of legislation in its current condition."

• Lastly, according to a recent press story, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) is now stating reports of his support for cloture are "premature."

[alarimer]

37. Clear evidence that the Democrats are not really on our side.

We have two corporate parties.