A key vote for business

Big business won a key ally today in its high-stakes fight against the "check-card" bill that would make it easier for unions to organize workplaces.

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who was the only Republican to support the bill two years ago, told business groups that he will oppose the measure.

Unions were counting on him as the 60th vote to overcome an expected GOP filibuster. Democrats and two independents who usually vote with them control 58 seats.

“We applaud the Senator for taking a principled stand to support Main Street employers and workers in Pennsylvania," Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

“There will likely be many attempts to push other forms of labor law reform with similar goals, and we urge the senator to continue to oppose these misguided efforts. We also urge all senators to oppose any efforts that would take away the protection of the private ballot, impose binding interest arbitration on America’s small businesses and other employers, or create one-sided remedies."

The bill would allow workplace organizers to form a union by signing up a majority of employees -- without allowing companies to demand a secret ballot.

Earlier today, the AFL-CIO released a poll it commissioned that showed 72 percent of Americans favoring the bill, including majorities of both Democrats and Republicans.

UPDATE: AFL-CIO president John Sweeney called Specter's decision "frankly a disappointment and a rebuke to working people, to his own constituents in Pennsylvania and working families around the country."

"We do not plan to let a hardball campaign from Big Business derail the Employee Free Choice Act or the dreams of workers," Sweeney added in a statement.

"There are deep flaws in our labor laws, as Sen. Specter acknowledged today. The freedom to join together and bargain with employers for fair wages and better benefits is critical to rebuilding our middle class – and now is exactly the time to do it, as we begin to revive our economy in a way that works for everyone. In the coming weeks, we will be escalating our campaign and finding the best ways forward to a balanced, strong economy."

Anna Burger, chairwoman of the Change to Win labor coalition, said in a statement, “The Employee Free Choice Act is a vital component to restoring our economy, rebuilding the middle class and renewing the American Dream for America’s workers. Allowing workers the choice to join together, free from intimidation and harassment, to bargain for job security, better wages and health care will stimulate our economy and put working families back on the path of prosperity. We will continue to work with Democrats and Republicans, including Sen. Specter, to pass this critical legislation and make our economy work for everyone.”

In a speech on the Senate floor, Specter called it a "very emotional issue with labor looking to this legislation to reverse the steep decline in union membership and business expressing great concern about added costs, which would drive many companies out of business or overseas," according to the Associated Press

Specter called the secret ballot "the cornerstone of how contests are decided in a Democratic society."