Where’s Klein on labor bill?
by George Bennett | March 10th, 2009
Liberal bloggers and the Republican Party of Florida are noting that the labor-backed Employee Free Choice Act introduced in Congress today no longer has U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, as a cosponsor.
Klein will “review this year’s bill carefully before it reaches the House floor,” a spokeswoman said.
Klein is highlighted on the liberal “Down With Tyranny” blog as one of 29 House Dems who cosponsored the legislation last year but aren’t cosponsors this year. The state GOP, which calls the bill as an assault on ballot privacy, is pressing Klein to “come clean” on whether he supports or opposes the bill.
Read more, including a statement from Klein’s office, after the jump….
The legislation would make it easier for unions to organize by authorizing a union if a majority of workers in a bargaining unit sign cards asking for one. Under current law, votes on whether to unionize are done by secret ballot and overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
Unions say the current system allows employers to harass and intimidate employees during the run-up to an election. Businesses say the union-backed legislation will allow labor organizers to harass and intimidate employees by targeting those who haven’t signed cards.
The legislation passed the House on a largely party-line vote last year but died in the Senate.
Klein spokeswoman Melissa Silverman issued this statement late this afternoon:
“The Employee Free Choice Act of 2009 was introduced in the U.S. House just a few hours ago, and Congressman Klein will review this year’s bill carefully before it reaches the House floor.
“Congressman Klein strongly supports a person’s right to join a union if they so choose, without the undue influence of either management or labor organizations. However, at this moment, he is operating with a laser-like focus on creating jobs and turning South Florida’s economy around.
“Congressman Klein has made it clear that his top priority is getting our economy back on track, and as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, he has spent much of the last few weeks attending oversight hearings and meeting with elected officials, community leaders and business owners from South Florida to hear their thoughts on how we can best address the current crisis.”
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Sentenced to die for crimes judged heinous and cruel, inmates await execution in a 9 feet by 6 feet cell.
March 11th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
way to go Ron; keep looking out for America’s freedoms and preserving the secret ballot that prevents intimidation from the company or the union.
and thx again for your continued support of our military and veterans
June 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
[...] As noted here Tuesday, Klein was a cosponsor of the legislation last year, but isn’t a cosponsor this year. His office said he’s focused on the economy and will “review” the union bill. [...]