On Sep 7, 2004, at 10:04 AM, Nathan Newman wrote:
> Actually, you illustrate my point that Democrats are far more
> progressive
> on labor issues today, since you would never have that many Democrats
> voting for anti-labor legislation today.
Fine, so when are they going to vote for some *pro*labor legislation?
2002 Supported Homeland Security law with union protection of government workers. Bill filibustered by GOP.
2001 Dems overwhelmingly voted to sustain Clinton's ergonomics standards, but lost to vote by GOP. See http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2001/roll033.xml
1994 Cesar Chavez Act to ban replacement workers. Filibustered by GOP.
1978 Omnibus labor law reform bill overwhelmingly supported by Dems; filibustered by GOP.
1974 Expanded NLRA to cover health care workers, largely because wildcat strikes were spreading at exempt hospitals, so even the GOP supported reform to include the workers in the NLRA.
1965-66 Vote on major labor law reform, including repeal of "right to work legislation. Filibustered by GOP. [Interesting story on that vote was that minority leader Dirksen offered to drop the filibuster if labor agreed not to oppose a constitutional amendment overturning the "one person, one vote" decisions for state legislatures. Labor leaders refused the deal; George Meany to his credit said, "As badly as I want 14(b) repealed, I do not want it that badly. And the Senate Minority Leader and all his anti-labor stooges can filibuster until hell freezes over before I will agree to sell the people short for that kind of a deal."]
Dems need 60 votes to pass labor law reform; they haven't had it for serious labor law reform since the 1930s. There have been lots of pro-labor votes over the years; they just can't become law unless some portion of GOPers support it, which almost never happens.
To repeat, look to the states where Dems have unfettered control-- lots of pro-labor legislation passed there.
Nathan Newman