Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Card check alternative unveiled

WASHINGTON — Another big day for the union-backed card-check bill­ as three massive retailers announced support for an alternative that is receiving mixed reviews this morning on the Hill.

Starbucks, Costco and Whole Foods unveiled the proposal over the weekend, which some hope could break the gridlock in Congress over card check. The card check bill would make it easier to form unions. It may not have support needed to pass the Senate.

Yet the compromise is being rejected by both labor and business-affiliated groups.

The Hill’s two top proponents of card check, Democrats Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Rep. George Miller of California, issued a joint statement Sunday calling the proposal “unacceptable.”

“It was written by CEOs for CEOs. It is not a serious attempt at labor law reform,” wrote the lawmakers, who are both chairmen of congressional labor committees in the House and Senate.

Those fighting card check were equally disinterested in a compromise.

Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work, said he believes the card check bill is already on its way to defeat in Congress, and this new effort “may well lead to the bill’s passage.”

We’ll have more details on the proposal itself, but you can read some of the early reports here and here.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are holding a policy committee hearing today on the card check bill, with its chief opponents on the hill, including Nevada Sen. John Ensign.

Not to be outdone, card check supporters at American Rights at Work are convening a briefing with economists discussing the bills benefits for small business.

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