Stern Calls Senators Who Don't Support EFCA "Terrorists"

Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, took a swipe at Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) Tuesday, calling the senators “terrorists” for their opposition to the card-check bill, which Democrats call the Employee Free Choice Act.

“There are a lot of terrorists in the Senate who think we are supposed to negotiate with them when they have their particular needs that they want met,” Stern told Bloomberg News. His comments, which also appeared in BusinessWeek magazine, apparently were prompted by the senators' reluctance to support the union-sponsored bill.

Stern and others in organized labor have always had a penchant for hyperbole, but the fact that Stern has access to the West Wing at will, and indeed has had more visits to the White House than any other person who doesn't actually work there reveals more about the Administration than it does about Stern.

Bottom line? The battle over EFCA is not over. Organized labor doesn't intend to go away empty handed.

Obama May Try Get Card Check Through In Jobs Bill

As we've said many times, EFCA isn't over.

Word is Obama's jobs bill will include “card-check.”

According to U.S. News, labor unions are claiming the long-delayed Employee Free Choice Act might be wrapped up in a second jobs and stimulus package the President could offer in his State of the Union Address Wednesday.

Even putting it in a popular job-creation bill won't insure its passage. Some democrats in the House representing conservative districts are already wary of endorsing the Obama agenda in light of recent Republican victories and the growing influence of the Tea Party movement.

But, Democratic leaders like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi reportedly believe folding card-check into jobs legislation is the easiest way to get it passed, and are confident that Republicans will feel compelled to vote for the jobs legislation or face criticism at home.