Labor's Day At The White House

[Omaha Steve]

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/on_background_short_term_stuff.php

30 Jan 2009 04:00 pm

Here's an update from a variety of labor union sources about the White House outreach to this most important Democratic constituency:

Today was the first of several labor action days, with Obama signing executive orders to overturn Bush administration policies. Over the next few months, Obama will sign several executive orders about labor rules, wages, and contract negotiations -- affirmative things, inducements, improvements. It does appear that card check, what labor really wants, will have to wait. Majority Leader Harry Reid said that it wouldn't come up before the summer. But the summer turns into the fall mightly quickly, and the fall expeditiously turns into 2010, with a slew of gubernatorial, Senate and House races. Last night, CNBC's John Harwood asked if the White House was pushing for EFCA "rapidly." Biden preferred the word "prudently."

HARWOOD: Couple of other things, quickly. On organized labor, the issue of this Card Check Bill...

Vice Pres. BIDEN: Yeah.

HARWOOD: ...to make union organizing easier is a flashpoint for some in business and labor alike. Is this something that you are--and the administration are nominally for but are going to slow walk, and it's not likely to become law this year or anytime soon? Or is it something that you all are going to try to push for rapidly?

Vice Pres. BIDEN: We're going to try to push for prudently. By that I mean there's only so much on the plate these first couple months. Everyone understands--I think both of us thought 10 months ago that this would be a top-priority item in terms of immediate action. We know there's probably going to be some compromise here. We also know that we have to get more than just Democratic support for this. But we both believe it's very important, making and--taking away the roadblocks that were built up. For example, today when they announce the middle class--I'm probably dating this program, but the--announcing the middle class task force, the president's going to sign four executive orders, and they relate to impediments that executively put in place by the Bush administration making it more difficult for labor to just under the rules that exist--the guys in the striped shirts, you know, calling the--giving them a fair shot at organizing. So we do think making it--taking away the impediments to organization is in the self-interest of labor, but also I believe in the self-interest of economic growth.

HARWOOD: Sounds like that is a 2010 or beyond issue.

Vice Pres. BIDEN: No, no, no, no. This year. This year, we hope. Our expectation is this year, this calendar year, that we will move, and hopefully with some bipartisan support, to dealing with this issue.

FULL story at link.