Unions look to ’09

Organized labor has a lot riding on the elections this fall. After being frustrated by the Clinton administration and exasperated by the Bush administration, union officials are hopeful about the future.

Should Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) win the White House and Democrats significantly expand their majority in the Senate, organized labor would get a lot that is on their legislative wish list in the 111th Congress.

The AFL-CIO’s top priority is the so-called card check bill, which would allow workers to join a union when a majority of them sign authorization cards. Industry groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are strongly opposed to the bill because they believe that without a secret ballot, unions would be able to bully workers into signing up.

The measure has passed the House and attracted the support of every Democrat in the Senate during a cloture vote in 2007. Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) was the only Republican to side with Democrats.

Despite GOP claims to the contrary, President Clinton did not rubber-stamp all of organized labor’s requests. Unions weren’t enthralled by his administration’s leadership of the Labor Department, and his trade policies triggered protests from liberal Democrats.

For example, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a longtime ally of the AFL-CIO, strongly protested Clinton’s successful effort to pass legislation on permanent normal trade relations with China at the end of his second term.

Obama has strongly endorsed card check legislation. He also has vowed to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A recent Obama campaign memo stated, “He’ll work together with the leaders of Canada and Mexico — and he’s confident that he can succeed because amending NAFTA is in the interest of workers in all three countries.”

There will be other union bills that could move next year, such as mine safety legislation and a bill that would revamp the National Labor Relations Board. Raising the minimum wage could also be debated.

The Hill reported last week that many powerful business groups are preparing for a Labor Department run by an Obama administration. They are specifically concerned about Obama’s promise to issue a worker safety regulation aimed at reducing musculoskeletal disorders. A similar rule issued by the Clinton administration was overturned by Congress in 2001.

Obama has said he would lead the country in a bipartisan fashion; consistently siding with unions over industry would trigger a strong backlash.

Consensus can be achieved in many policy areas, but labor politics will forever be fierce and partisan.