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The Spectacle Blog

Health Care Squeezing Out "Card Check"

By Philip Klein on 7.29.09 @ 12:20PM

As health care gets bogged down in the legislative process, it is also sucking up so much oxygen on Capitol Hill, that it's making it harder for Democrats to push other aspects of their agenda. And today, Congress Daily reports:

Senate efforts to compromise on a watered-down version of the Employee Free Choice Act have been put firmly on the chamber's back burner -- perhaps for the rest of the year -- as senators, aides and lobbyists focus on health care and other legislation, participants said.

"We're not doing anything right now," Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said of talks he has led among a group of Democrats since it became clear in late March that a more ambitious "card check" bill to help unions organize could not win 60 Senate votes.

"We've got the healthcare bill; we've got appropriations bills, and we're lacking two senators that we need right now," Harkin said in an interview. "Nothing is happening on that right now."

View all comments (3) | Leave a comment

Cook324| 7.29.09 @ 1:35PM

Working as a supervisor in a union enviroment for over 25 years anything that gives unions more power will sound the death knell of the american economy. More pay for less productivity.

mcscms| 7.29.09 @ 1:58PM

Just because EFCA may be stalled, remember Big Labor will also try to get EFCA like changes in the NLRA rules if Craig Becker is confirmed by Congress as a Board Member. His radical views paired with the other more liberal nominee Mark Pearce, and existing members, could still change labor relations as we know it.