National Journal links to a new advertisement by the AFL-CIO in support of the Employee Free Choice Act:
It looks like Big Labor's strategy for selling the EFCA can be summed up in one word: obfuscation. There's no mention in this ad of any of the provisions of Card Check--wiping out the secret ballot, allowing the federal government to dictate the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, and dramatically increasing the penalties on employers (but not unions) for inappropriate activities during organizing drives.
If signed into law, Card Check holds the potential to make labor strife a regular front-page feature during Obama's first term and slow down an economy that's already beset with huge problems. Does Obama really want to sign such controversial legislation if the unions sell the measure by bait-and-switch? If the voters feel they were fooled, they'll take it out on the elected officials who supported the bill--and that might not be limited to representatives and senators.
It's interesting that Democratic senators are so afraid of taking public stances on controversial issues that they're deciding Joe Lieberman's fate by a secret ballot, but they seem eager to take the right of privacy away from employees deciding on a union.
