Spring recess may generate EFCA compromise
Labor and its allies have committed to using Congress’ two-week spring recess to seek out Republican support for EFCA, but there are indications that they are aware that compromise may be inevitable. Karoun Demirjian reports in the print edition of CQ Today that leadership of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee intend to hold hearings and a mark up session shortly after the recess ends. Ms. Demirjian notes that EFCA opponents are warning Senate moderates that any compromises agreed to in the Senate will be reversed in conference committee once the bill passes the House of Representatives. She even quotes AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel as saying: “It’s one scenario.”
Meanwhile, organized labor is planning numerous events to keep pressure on lawmakers it considers to be vulnerable. Mike Allen of Politico reports:
The events include delivering signatures and letters to senators’ district offices, rallies, worker roundtables, letter-writing and phone-banking events, delegation visits, town halls, worksite leafleting and editorial board meetings.
On the cyberspace front, labor has produced a new pro-EFCA video entitled “The Fabric of America.”
In short, as an unnamed labor official quoted by Politico’s Mr. Allen said:
“Anyone who thinks the battle over the Employee Free Choice Act is over is wrong with a capital W . . . .We are more determined then ever and the expenditures on ads and massive field operations show that we are putting 100 percent of our efforts behind this bill.”
