Card-check battle leaves all combatants worse for wear
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)
Two esteemed senators caved into pressure and reversed prior support. Business groups that for years had no trouble with inane rulings by a packed National Labor Relations Board (that just happened to invariably favor their positions) were suddenly defending secret union elections as a central tenet of democracy. And a blatant attempt by union groups to grab power and swell their ranks was exposed for being just that.
That's one win for those against the new labor law, a loss for those for it and a huge drop in credibility for all involved.
Now that the Employee Free Choice Act is essentially dead, it's tempting to point out that a win-at-all-costs mentality drove and undermined the debate. Except there's one problem: The fight may not really be over. Continuing attempts to use disinfomercials and parsed polls may be intended as much for the next round as the last one.
Also, a slightly modified version of the bill could regain the senators' support. Round two promises to be equally nasty and underhanded.
