I’m rather surprised that this happened honestly. I really thought labor was going to be able to ram this down corporate America’s throats and make them digest it. However, I guess in the world of give and take on the Hill some sort of compromise was going to have to be made. It turns out that labor’s top officials were heavily involved in all aspects of this deal and are optimistic that this compromise will go a long way in helping workers organize. Although I will say that I really don’t get why several “moderate” Democrats opposed card check as being “undemocratic.”

While disappointed with the failure of card check, union leaders argued this would still be an important victory because it would give companies less time to press workers to vote against unionizing.

The good thing is the speed in which an election will now be held after thirty percent of workers signed cards saying they want a union. Elections have to be held within five or ten days. They also seem to be willing to get rid of the anti-union workplace meetings that some corporations like Target force their workers to sit through. If this bill can pass despite the continued opposition from corporatists it would appear that this would be a big victory. It’s not card check but it doesn’t appear to be too bad.

Unions: Obama ‘gays in military’ moment?

Already, card-check opponents are warning that this could become the new president’s gays-in-the-military moment, an early and costly stumble by a neophyte President Clinton similarly fulfilling a campaign promise without fully appreciating the fierce opposition it would stoke.

I’m not surprised the the GOP and their corporate allies would be vehemently opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act. Yet, their attempt to paint this as the ‘gays in the military moment’ shows how disgusting and nasty they are. The Employee Free Choice Act is something that obviously would have more support across the nation than what Clinton went through in the 90’s I’d imagine.

I also think Fortune is wrong when they say “in the end, though, business’ best case against a bill that will make
unionizing companies easier can be summed up in one word: Detroit.” Fortune as does people like Senator Corker, Shelby &c. want to put the blame on the UAW for the failure that is the big three. The big three’s executives are the real failures and they truly deserve it. I would also have to grant that the cost of healthcare is a real problem as well. The UAW conceeded on things just to keep the industry afloat. Yet for Corker and others it wasn’t enough. Why don’t we just say it? Fortune magazine and the GOP are anti-union?

Honestly, and McDonald’s wonders why the term McJob was coined after them. The following is from an online campaign being waged by the Service Employees Inernational Union.

McDonald’s isn’t lovin’ free choice for its employees. The fast food giant is reportedly organizing its restaurant owners to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act. McDonald’s has reportedly even formed an “internal response team…to actively participate in the opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act.”

McDonald’s has more than 600,000 employees in the US, many of whom earn less than $10/hour. But last year its CEO took home more than $13 million. Now McDonald’s leadership is actively organizing to prevent its employees from standing up for themselves at work.

Write to McDonalds and say employees need the Employee Free Choice Act – we’ll send your letters to McDonald’s headquarters to make sure they get the message.

McDonald’s won’t be the only corporation we’ll see come out in force against the Employee Free Choice Act.