Stories

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin told a crowd of labor activists Thursday that he had amassed the 60 votes needed to pass a version of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) back in July but that Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy’s illness prevented him from casting the deciding vote.

The provision of a controversial bill that would give workers the right to unionize as soon as a majority of employees in a workplace signed cards saying they want a union has been dropped, a move designed to make it easier for the legislation to pass.

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 [...]

Speaking at a labor rally this weekend, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter voiced support for the Employee Free Choice Act, a turn of events that could revive the hopes of a bill many felt was doomed.
The legislation, which is sponsored by Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, makes it easier for labor unions to organize. Iowa Republican Sen. [...]

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin said 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.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who sponsored a bill making it easier for unions to organize, said a lack of support in the Senate would likely cause the Employee Free Choice Act to be altered.
Harkin told Bloomberg News that the provision of the bill that would give workers the right to unionize as soon as a [...]

A bill making it easier for labor unions to organize will never become law because Republicans will filibuster it, Sen. Charles Grassley told reporters Tuesday.

[Commentary] Unions: they're the folks that brought you the weekend. And today, May Day, we should be celebrating them. Unfortunately on this day of solidarity with working people everywhere, it seems we’ve got a lot more work ahead of us before the party can begin.