Labor bill still a priority for Harkin

With high-profile showdowns brewing in the U.S. Senate over health care reform and climate change legislation, a bill altering the nation’s labor laws has slipped from the headlines.

But for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, the sponsor and chief negotiator for the controversial Employee Free Choice Act, the bill is still very much a priority that he expects to pass before the end of the year, according to his communications director, Kate Cyrul.

Cyrul told the Iowa Independent legislation is still moving forward, but there are multiple factors at play. One of those factors, she said, is the recent seating of Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, a move that gives the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

Franken chose the bill, which would make it easier for unions to organize, as the first that he signed on to as a co-sponsor. Washington, D.C.,-based newspaper The Hill reports that national labor unions plan to use Franken’s recent seating as a springboard to renew their push for passage.

The legislation has been stalled for months due to opposition from all Senate Republicans and a handful of Senate Democrats. In May, Harkin said the bill might have to be altered in order to pass. However, if opposition was unwilling to negotiate a compromise, he would force a vote on the original bill.