Plan B: Card Check Getting a Facelift

Meredith Jessup | July 20, 2009 4:23 PM

You may have noticed that with all the buzz surrounding cap-and-trade and health care, the debate over Big Labor-favored Card Check legislation has been pretty quiet. The

Wall Street Journal reports today that the lull in action represents a "shift to Plan B":

One proposal would slash the time for an organizing vote, requiring that it be held within five or 10 days after 30% of workers had signed cards asking for a union. The median time today is 38 days. Organizers want the rush because they know the more time workers have to learn about a union, the less they usually want one. Once employees hear the other side of the story, support dwindles.

Democrats also aren't giving up on binding arbitration, which would let a federal arbitrator impose a contract if management and a newly established union at a work site aren't able to agree within 90 days. The provision would encourage unions to make maximum demands and play for time, knowing that an arbitrator could force management's hand. Binding arbitration also denies employees a vote on a contract.

Democrats and the AFL-CIO are hoping that if the provision banning the secret ballot is removed from card check, they could reach the "magic number" of 60 senators. "The business community and Republicans shouldn't be fooled and let Democrats from swing states off the hook. Card check under any cover is still a job killer."