Specter: Deal ‘pounded out’ on card-check, should pass this year

[babylonsister]

He was against it before he was for it? :shrug:

Specter: Deal ‘pounded out’ on card-check, should pass this year
By Kevin Bogardus - 09/15/09 01:12 PM ET


Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) on Tuesday told the AFL-CIO Convention in Pittsburgh that he has been working hard “for hours” on a deal with other key senators, such as Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), as well as labor leaders, on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA).

“We have pounded out an Employees Choice bill which will meet labor’s objectives,” Specter said. “I believe before the year is out, and I will join my colleague Sen. Casey <(D-Pa.)> in predicting, that there will be passage of an Employees Free Choice Act, which will be totally satisfactory to labor.”

The bill is one of the labor movement’s most important legislative priorities this Congress, which they believe is necessary to protect workers’ rights, and Specter’s prediction was greeted by a prolonged standing ovation from the convention’s attendees, members of the nation’s largest union federation.

Specter cited three principles for labor law reform pushed by unions that he agrees with: no delays in union certification, tough penalties for labor law violations and binding arbitration for management and workers to reach union contracts more quickly.

What was unsaid in the senator’s speech was whether a core provision in the bill was part of the deal. Much of the attention has focused on the “card-check” provision, which would allow workers to bypass secret-ballot elections and instead organize by getting a majority to sign off on authorization cards. Attacked relentlessly by business associations as undemocratic, lawmakers have been discussing removing the measure in order to win more support from centrist Democrats.

In a Senate floor speech earlier this year, Specter, then a Republican, said he would not support advancing the bill with the card-check provision.

more...

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/58797-specter-deal-pounded-out-on-card-check

[mzmolly]

1. So very encouraging.

Ahhhhhhhh.

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. He's playing "Democrat" as Sestak is going to primary him

Rep Sestak has called for an up or down vote on the private option in the HC debate, so Arlen is trying to build his street cred with labor.

[old mark]

3. Our President and our Governor here in PA are campaigning for

Specter - I'd vote for Sestak just to spite Rendell, in fact I probably will anyway. The Republicans thought Specter was a Democrat all along, but the Democrats still think he's a Republican. Time to fold it up and go home, Arlen....

mark

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. I wasn't aware of that

So thats why he was invited to the WH with the blue dogs. To seal an endorsement before the primary season kicks off.