Organized Labor to Obama: It’s Pay Back Time

According to the Washington Post (and not surprisingly), labor unions have already let the Obama campaign know that they expect promised support and expect it quickly. Exit polls show that union members played a pivotal role in Obama’s election.

The top priority is the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would dramatically change the way union organizing is handled. (Click here, here, and here for more information on the EFCA.) It’s important to organized labor because it’s designed to help unions reverse the significant decline in union membership during the past 25 years: a drop from 20% to 12% of all U.S. workers.

Obama has been a vocal supporter of EFCA, which has always been strongly opposed by business groups. Given the current economic crisis, business groups will step up their opposition. Opponents argue that because this law would make it so much easier for unions to organize (by eliminating the long-standing secret ballot election), companies will be encouraged to ship more jobs overseas.

This sets the stage for an early test for Obama. It involves a vocal, working class group of Democratic and Obama supporters. Obama made specific promises to this group. Admittedly, he made these promises before the economic crisis came crashing down, but Obama won’t be able to stave off union insistence that part of its agenda be brought up, starting with the controversial Emplolyee Free Choice Act.

If Obama can convince organized labor to compromise on portions of EFCA, then its relatively quick passage could occur. If he can’t or doesn’t want to, then his administration will begin with a bitter battle. There may be enough votes to pass the law in both houses of Congress, but it’s unlikely there will be enough votes to stop a filibuster in the Senate. It’s even conceivable that some more conservative Democrats will balk at voting for what is being billed by business groups as a radical change in traditional labor law and another dagger to the heart of an economy already on life support.

Besides, if unions can’t successfully organize in the current environment of massive layoffs and the fear of massive layoffs across the country, then it’s unlikely the Employee Free Choic Act will do anything to help them.