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Card Checks Dropped From Card-Check Bill

Senate Dems ditch pro-labor bill's most controversial provision

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 17, 2009 7:33 AM CDT

(Newser) – The so-called "card-check" bill no longer includes its namesake card checks. Labor-friendly Democratic senators have agreed to ditch a central part of the union-organizing measure to ensure its passage, the New York Times reports. The controversial provision would have required employers to recognize a union when a majority of workers simply signed forms saying they wanted to join. Businesses lobbied hard against it, and moderate Dems threatened to bolt.

The revised Employee Free Choice Act will still require faster voting on unionization, a move labor leaders say will give companies less time to intimidate workers before ballots are cast. Union leaders, who lobbied hard for card check, say the revised bill still achieves many of the labor movement's main goals. "Even if card check is jettisoned to political realities, I don’t think people should be despondent over that because labor law reform can take different shapes," says one top union official.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Workers in Milwaukee at a rally for the Employee Free Choice Act (Flickr)

Workers in Milwaukee march in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. (Flickr)

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This bill will bring about dramatic changes, even if card check has fallen away. - An AFL-CIO union official

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 9 comments

Snarfeh

Jul 18, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

That was actually a good comment and then I got to the unnecessary LOL, so I re-read it to find the humor. I am still missing the joke, but up until the weird LOL at the end, I am in agreement with CK and hell just froze over.

godawgs

Jul 17, 2009 4:21 AM CDT

there can still be unions, they just have to go through the same process as everyone else and have a secret ballot vote. what's wrong with that? If the majority of people want a union they will vote for it and it will happen. It seems work pretty well with this country's other elections.

godawgs

Jul 17, 2009 4:17 AM CDT

@independantthinker I guess i should have put a note in their about the intended sarcasm.

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Senate Democrats • union • labor unions • Employee Free Choice Act • card check

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Card Checks Dropped From Card-Check Bill