Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (Lauren Victoria Burke/WDCPIX.COM)
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin told the National Journal Tuesday that if those who currently oppose the Employee Free Choice Act are not willing to work with him on a compromise, he will will try to force a vote on the original bill.
Republicans have said repeatedly they will filibuster the bill. Earlier this month, Harkin said he didn’t believe he had the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and that the most controversial portion, giving workers the right to unionize as soon as a majority of employees in a workplace signed cards saying they want a union, would likely be eliminated.
Now, Harkin says that while he is still working to get 60 votes, he is willing to put the original bill on the floor of the Senate and let lawmakers vote their conscience. As Talking Points Memo writer Brian Beutler points out, doing so would put two of the bills most high profile opponents — Sens. Arlen Specter, D-Penn., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark. — on the hot seat.
Specter, who tacked to the right and came out against EFCA before becoming a Democrat, is facing pressure from the Democratic base and Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) to move left or face a primary challenge.
And at least one high level union official has suggested that if Lincoln doesn’t come around and support an EFCA compromise, she may face a green party challenger, in addition to a Republican challenger, in the general election.
Specter told the Associated Press last week that “prospects are pretty good” for a compromise.
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