Blanche Lincoln Will Vote NO on EFCA
According to Arkansas Business and Sam Stein at the Huffington Post, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) will oppose the Employee Free Choice Act in its current form.
"I cannot support that bill," Lincoln said, according to one attendee. "Cannot support that bill in its current form. Cannot support and will not support moving it forward in its current form."
The measure, better known as the "card check" bill, has been fought by business groups and championed by labor, after intense lobbying by both factions.
The bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act to allow certification of a union if a majority of workers signed cards naming the union as their representative. The Free Choice Act has other important provisions, including tougher penalties on employers who are deemed to have engaged in unfair labor practices. But it does not require a secret ballot election.
This isn't a terribly huge surprise. Lincoln is
considered one of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate, and
Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe hasn't been fully on board with the EFCA
either. Beebe's spokesman
said last month that "now is not the time to address the card check
issue given the current state of the American economy." Plus, labor
unions operate on a smaller scale in Arkansas. While about 80,000
citizens of Arkansas are members of unions, that represents less than 6% of the Arkansas workforce, making Arkansas one of the least unionized states in the lower 48. Furthermore, Wal-Mart -- a corporation that's bitterly opposed to the bill -- is the biggest private employer in the state.
Still, this has to be considered a pretty major blow for the EFCA. Three Senators who were previously on the fence about the EFCA as of last month -- Lincoln, Arlen Specter (R-PA), and Ben Nelson (D-NE) -- have now all come out against it. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who once supported it, dropped her support a little more than a week ago. Michael Bennet (D-CO) is wavering in whether or not he'll support it. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) aren't sure things, either.
Even though Lincoln's opposition may not necessarily be the final nail in the coffin for the EFCA, I'm getting pretty damn fed up with the Democrats' impotence on this issue. Harry Reid has insisted that he could get 60 votes to invoke cloture.
Really, Harry? I doubt that, 'cause last I checked, the Republicans were slamming the EFCA left and right with the spurious argument that it was a "card check" bill that would eliminate the secret ballot. Now, you're down by at least four votes -- three from Democrats -- and Al Franken hasn't been seated yet. Why aren't you on TV (or sending a surrogate on TV) every night to hit the GOP back for their false smears on the EFCA? Are you just waiting until Lincoln, Specter, Nelson, and Feinstein change their minds? Do you know something we don't? I certainly hope so, because you're doing a real heckuva job getting the votes the EFCA needs, Harry. No, really.
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Cross-posted at Daily Kos
What is Lincoln's stated specific reason for opposing the bill in its current form? Why isn't that part of the article?
April 6, 2009 6:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
It doesn't say why. For Lincoln's part, it's worth noting that Wal-Mart is the state's biggest employer.
April 6, 2009 6:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Biggest private employer, I mean.
April 6, 2009 6:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I understand the politics of it, with the Walmart thing. But it would be great if someone could get her, or anyone for that matter, to be openly specific about their problems with the bill. It's too easy for politicians to hide behind generic naysaying.
Reporters need to be persistent about asking why, not just what.
April 6, 2009 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
We need to start mounting primary challenges against these folks. It needs to begin costing them cold hard cash to go against the party on signature issues like this.
April 6, 2009 6:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
There are some Google ads under this post taken out by big business marketing firms -- it was the rich fat cats' biggest priority (making sure workers continue to get the shaft).
After this bill goes down in flames nobody should use the word "progressive" to talk about this administration or this Congress, ever again. And the Democratic Party is only slightly more valuable than the worthless GOP.
p.s. F- you Ms Feinstein.
April 6, 2009 11:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sen. Lincoln benefited from the administration's massive fundraising in her behalf and now she sides with the administration's opponents on this issue. Nevertheless, she does get credit for not voting along with traitor Evan against the budget.
April 7, 2009 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink