Bill Clinton's Presidency is a necessary place to start when trying to understand Obama's approach to the unions. Many workers were rightfully skeptical of Clinton the moment he announced his intentions to run for President-- he was Governor of a 'Right To Work' state and was notorious for siding with management on major labor disputes. Many unions refused to support him until he successfully secured the Democratic nomination, where he was mystically transformed into the "lesser of two evils".

But it's hard to imagine a greater evil to labor than Bill Clinton. He pulled out all the stops to sell the evil, Corporate-written NAFTA to workers; helped create Plan Columbia (a militarized police/corporate state that consciously assassinates union leaders); completely reneged on any health-care reform; pushed through the criminal Welfare(counter)Reform bill; viciously attacked both Medicare and Medicaid by a combined amount of 140 billion dollars; increased the military budget by 17 billion dollars; led an imperialist war in Yugoslavia, not to mention various other military operations that paved the way for Bush's 'War on Terror'. Indeed, Bush has merely deepened the policies of Clinton, not created a host of new ones.

Bill Clinton was a hard-learned lesson for workers everywhere, creating mass skepticism in the Democratic Party as a whole. To overcome this, Obama had to offer the unions something spectacular... something extraordinary. Otherwise, the unholy, generational alliance between Democrats and the unions was in danger of disintegration. Obama's solution made the unions starry-eyed: Card Check! (In Congress-speak known as the Employees Free Choice Act).

Card Check would be the biggest pro-union bill passed in Congress since the 1930's. It would give any worksite the ability to be recognized as a union if more than 50% of the workforce signed a card stating their willingness to unionize. This would cut through the miles of red tape that presently engulfs union organizing. If actually done, this campaign promise of Obama's will be a major advancement for workers. But will it get done? Not in this writers opinion.

The problem is that the reform is too pro-worker, and Obama knows it. The mere thought of Card Check has sparked horror in the minds of the ruling class. Furious tirades have been launched against the bill across media everywhere-- its destructive results would "ruin the economy"! Not only that, but it's also "undemocratic" and gives the unions "totalitarian" powers. Other critics of the bill claim that it would spark a labor "renaissance", putting big-business on the defensive. And if actually passed, it might do just that.

A larger percentage of the population being unionized would indeed be bad for corporate profits, as workers would have better wages and benefits. This is precisely why Card Check will never be passed in Congress, at least not one that is controlled by one of the two corporate-owned parties; and especially not while the economy continues to spiral down a bottomless pit. The Democrat's intimate ties with the corporations are a fact that will cause this bill to rot on the floor of Congress.

The ruling class has many ways it waters-down, draws-out, and eventually destroys campaign promises. The bureaucratic workings of congress are an idea place for such maneuvering. In the case of Card Check, the Democrats under the least amount of public pressure may vote against the bill, where the 'left' Democrats will then say they "gave it their all". Eventually, the game will play itself out.

It's possible that, in this case, the ruling class may resort to the ace up its sleeve, meaning, that Congress will pass the bill, only to have it stricken down by the Supreme Court. This tactic was hinted at in Forbes magazine, where we read: "with many winds in Washington blowing in Big Labor's favor, business groups are hoping the justices come out on their side once again".

If this happens, The Democrats in congress will play-act the best they can, vowing to re-introduce the issue when the Supreme Court is once again on "their" side. But we will remember that the last two right-wing judges were confirmed without any challenge whatsoever by the Democrats: they've consciously created another excuse for accomplishing nothing. And while the bureaucrats in congress will be perfectly willing to wait for an ideal situation somewhere in the distant future to pass progressive legislation, the working-class cannot.

Obama's future broken promises-- assuming he becomes President-- will create the conditions for the unions rank-and-file to finally break with the Democrats, refusing to pay dues money to politicians that inevitably side with the corporations. Workers do not need fair-weather 'worker friendly' politicians, but representatives that are workers themselves, or at least directly controlled by a political party with a working-class specific platform. Until this happens, workers can expect broken-promises, sell-outs, disappointments, and betrayals. Obama, we "hope", will be the final obstacle to actual "change".


Shamus Cooke is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer for Workers Action www.workerscompass.org