Harkin Says That EFCA Could Come To Life During Lame-Duck Session of Congress

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), probably the biggest proponent of the Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate, remains optimistic that the labor organizing bill can still pass during this session of Congress.

On Thursday, Harkin appeared on the Bill Press radio show and hinted at what strategies they may follow to pass the bill before a new, most likely less union-friendly Congress is sworn in in January. Harkin said they may try to pass “key parts” of the bill individually if they can’t move it in its entirety. He also stated that they may try to pass the bill during the lame-duck session. That refers to the period of Congress after the November elections, but before the new session begins in January. To pass anything that controversial would be quite a task as it rarely happens.

But when you think about it, there are some fence-sitters or those who outright oppose it right now that look unlikely to win re-election in November (or have already lost their primary) and obviously would not have to answer to any constituents. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), who once opposed the bill but now favors a compromise version, has already lost his primary and could potentially move to support every part of the bill. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) barley survived a challenge in her primary (her challenger was mainly funded by unions), but has little chance of winning re-election in November. She initially supported EFCA, but backed off over the past year as she geared up for re-election. Would they be inclined to support this in November or December?

Harkin’s final message was simply: “To those who think it's dead, I say think again.”