EFCA in 2010?

Steve Rosenthal, a Democratic consultant and former political director of the AFL-CIO, told Bloomberg last week that the Employee Free Choice Act may have life in 2010. He sees it being incorporated in legislation next year designed to create jobs. A “jobs bill” has been at the top of the Senate’s list for 2010- but what is included in it remains to be seen.

Rosenthal based this on the theory that Democrats will need labor’s support in the mid-term elections, and this is the bill that will energize the traditional ally.

Of course, the flip side of the argument is that Democrats were forced to take a number of controversial votes in 2009 and may not have the appetite to do so in the election year. This specifically includes Democrats in potentially competitive elections such as Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas, Michael Bennet in Colorado and Byron Dorgan in North Dakota. Several other Democrats- with and without upcoming elections- have also expressed reservations.

Nancy Pelosi has already gone on the record to say that any controversial vote- such as EFCA- will need to pass through the Senate first as she doesn’t want to ask members of the House to make these difficult votes only to see bills die in the Senate.