Arkansas: On the front line of protecting worker’s votes.

by K. Ryan James, Washington D.C: Possibly to the chagrin (we think, but are not sure) of Arkansas’s senior senator, the chairman of the state’s Joint Budget Committee, State Sen. Gilbert Baker, is trying to get the right of workers to a secret ballot enshrined in the state constitution.

The proposed phrasing of this amendment is as follows, with my capitalizations offered for emphasis: “The right of individuals to vote by secret ballot is fundamental. Where state or federal law requires elections for public office or public votes on initiatives or referenda, or designations or AUTHORIZATIONS OF EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATION, the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot shall be guaranteed.”

No word from Sen. Blanche Lincoln, yet, on whether the people of Arkansas, via the petition process, should be focusing on fixing the economy instead of focussed on union voting, as per her belief on what the United States Senate should be doing. (Also, no word to date on whether she would blue-slip it.)

Speaking of priorities, it would appear that the Teamsters are privy to the word that Card Check may not make it in the first 100 days.“

We’re hearing [EFCA] probably won’t happen right away, and we feel good about that,” said Leigh Strope, spokeswoman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union. “It maybe will not happen in the first 100 days, but we don’t take that as a bad signal.”

Gerald McEntee, president of the influential American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, told The Washington Times in an interview that EFCA was “payback” for the labor movement’s massive campaign effort for Mr. Obama and the Democrats. But he acknowledged the Republican Senate roadblock and the need for Mr. Obama’s coalition to “be more interested in the bigger picture.” But unions expect a full-throttle effort in time on EFCA, he added.

“I think our people have to be able to see that the Democrats, including Obama, are fighting … for these kinds of things and not backing off or backing away,” Mr. McEntee said.

So that means Sens. Lincoln and (Mark) Pryor of Arkansas may get a bit of a reprieve. Per the Washington Times:

There are early signs that conservative Democrats and moderate, labor-friendly Republicans may not be anxious for an early fight in 2009 over EFCA, at least in its current form. Sens. MarkPryor and Blanche Lincoln, both Arkansas Democrats, have expressed doubts about the need for quick passage of EFCA.

Sen. George V. Voinovich, an Ohio Republican facing a potentially tough 2010 re-election battle, had been thought a possible Republican vote for cloture. But he told The Hill newspaper this month that he was standing firm against the union bill.“It’s undemocratic,” he said.

I am also sure that the any Democrat votes in support of the undemocratic Card Check bill might come up in the 70, or so, threatened Democrat seats in the House, as per the chair of the DCCC. I applaud Sen. Baker for his efforts at protecting the rights of workers to a secret ballot. I hope to have the opportunity to vote on amending my home state constitution one day. I also hope to hear from the Democratic members of the Arkansas congressional delegation on whether or not they would support the vote of the people to protect the votes of the workers back home. I shan’t be holding my breath.

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Tags: American workers, Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, Card Check, civil unions, Mark Pryor, union activism, voting rights To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!