Props to Alec MacGillis of the WaPo, who's doing a pretty good job of covering the card check story. Here's an update from about an hour ago on a story that ran this a.m., that Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods are working on a compromise. They're being helped along by Lanny Davis, who was Bill Clinton's main apologist and defender during the Monica Lewinsky stuff, so that doesn't really give anyone warm fuzzies. It says they have approached "about 20 Senate offices." We can guess who they are. You probably want to weigh in with them again.
Shortly before his Inauguration, Obama signaled that he was looking fora compromise. They say that this compromise keeps secret ballot elections and doesn't allow arbitration but will allow the unions a chance to address the employees on company property before an election and will set a definite time period for the election. Am guessing this will trigger labor's gag reflex. It's the democracy they hate.
In the earlier version of MacGillis' story that ran in the morning paper, there was this:
"It is the pro-management tilt in the current laws, unions say, that explains why only 7.5 percent of private-sector workers belong to unions, down from 36 percent in the 1950's...."
This is indeed the unions' complaint. But wait a second: Isn't this the same statute under which unions saw fantastic growth for the first few decades? If the statute hasn't changed (and it hasn't), then when did the "pro-management tilt" materialize in "current law"? Never let the facts get in the way of a good -- and whiny -- story. Maybe they're selling a product that people no longer want to buy. No wonder they need a thumb on democracy's scale.
It's possible that labor -- the experts on taking the long view -- will take the compromise just to get a foot in the door, put the extra goodies in their pockets for free (why not?), count ten and then come back to say it's not working. But you can be sure they will first force and up or down vote, as a "love test," to see who gets their cash next time.
Thoughts? Reaction?
[Update] Here's a link to the press release put out by these three companies, who have organized themselves into something called, the "Committee for a Level Playing Field for Union Elections." It lays out their 6 principles. Check out #2 -- for labor this is a show-stopper. They want to make it easy for folks to get in, not out.