Posted on 03/24/2009 4:13:09 PM PDT by radar101
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced Tuesday he will oppose card check, giving an apparent death blow to the most important congressional issue to organized labor.
Specter made the dramatic announcement in a floor speech. His opposition means Democrats can count on a maximum of 59 votes to move the bill forward, one short of the 60 required to clear Senate rules.
Winning 59 votes would require Democrat Al Franken to beat Republican Norm Coleman in the still-contested Minnesota Senate race. Democrats also would have to count on holding the rest of their votes, and several centrists have raised doubts about the bill.
In his floor speech, Specter noted that Franken’s likely win could give him the 60th vote required to make the bill law.
“If so, the decisive vote would be mine,” said Specter, who told The Hill last week in an interview that his would be the decisive vote.
“It is an anguishing position but we play the cards we're dealt,” Specter said Tuesday on the floor.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Specter’s opposition does not mean the end of card-check in this Congress. He also said he thinks other Republicans in the Senate might vote for the bill.
But no other Republican senators have signaled their support for the bill, and business has engaged in a fierce lobbying and public relations attack to prevent anyone from crossing the aisle to support it.
After his speech, praise immediately began to pour in for Specter from a number of business trade associations who have lobbied heavily against the bill.
“I am very pleased that Sen. Arlen Specter has decided to vote against cloture on the EFCA,” said former Michigan Gov. John Engler (R), president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. “Manufacturers stand behind Sen. Specter’s decision to vote against EFCA and appreciate his decision to put working men and women, the economy and the nation first.”
“Protecting our fragile economy from further damage should be the top priority of every elected official, and Sen. Specter deserves praise and respect for doing as much,” said Katie Packer, executive director for the Workforce Fairness Institute.
Union officials noted the importance of Specter's decision. In a briefing to reporters earlier this month, AFL-CIO Director of Government Relations Bill Samuel said Specter’s and Franken’s votes were needed to get to 60.
Specter, who is expected to face a tough primary challenge and a general-election battle in 2010, was the only Republican to vote in favor of a cloture vote to proceed to debate on card-check in the last Congress.
The senator said the decision to vote for cloture on the bill last time was not because he approved of the bill itself.
“I did not support the bill on its merits but rather to take up the issue of labor law reform in general,” Specter said.
The Pennsylvania Republican said he found significant problems with two provisions in the bill. One, the card-check provision, would prevent employers from demanding a secret-ballot election to form a union if a majority of workers sign authorization cards stating their intention to organize. The other would have the government appoint an arbitrator to negotiate stalled contract negotiations between unions and management.
Calling the secret ballot “the cornerstone of our democracy,” Specter said that provision was too damaging to the process of forming a union.
Specter also said he attached possible amendments to the National Labor Relations Act to his floor statements for other senators to consider in order to improve labor law.
Unions campaigned for the legislation during the last election and supported candidates who backed the bill. Labor leaders see the bill as vital to unions since it would help reverse the decline in their membership if passed.
J.T. Rushing contributed to this article.
He’s just trying to make up for his budget cave in...Trying to get into political heaven by going against a stupid labor bill...
I hope there is someone on the bench, ready to oust this goober...
Lets remain vigilant. Obama wants to use the tyrannical 51 vote rule.
Another absolute truth. And we can thank the "third party" voters for this disaster.
Stick a fork in this and call it done. Card check needs to be banished from memory and allow unions to die their natural death. Today’s unions, (Teacher’s unions, UAW and the government unions) are simply fund-raising arms of the Democratic party, whether the union members want it or agree with it. Union bosses steal and get rich from union members and membership gets little benefit from being in a union.
How does he know that Franken is likely to win?
Interestingly, on the really important bills, Specter usually votes Republican. That’s why his vote for the financial destruction of our descendants surprised me so. This is an attempt to get re-elected, which I think is going to be a fight for him. And, it really might be where he stands.
He is worried about the Primaries. . .
I guess this will end the speculation about his jumping camp. With this move he can’t ever hope for Union financing and without such financing he would be DOA as a Democrat. I guess I will have to call this good news, considering the implications of Cardcheck, but it seems we are stuck with Specter for a while...
Just what I was thinking. Sphincter means nothing. If the Dems really wanted this monstrosity passed badly enough, they’d invoke the nuclear option in a heartbeat. The fact they don’t speaks volumes about the quandary that red state Dem senators are in.
I say enjoy it while it lasts, and still vote for Toomey in the primary!
is he trying to keep his seat finally?
Maybe PA could just elect a Senator who wouldn’t have to think twice about this stupid idea.
Excuse my moment of clarity, but isn’t Arlen well into his 70’s?
He is a RINO and will act conservative until reelected, correct?
For the life of me I do not understand why these elderly guys need to constantly keep running for election. Give it up, retire. What’s the point except fear of losing power?
What is the status of Coleman vs Franken? Have heard nothing about it in a long time.
> What is the status of Coleman vs Franken? Have heard nothing about it in a long time.
Maybe flattorney knows?
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