Rep. Hoyer Says Employee Free Choice Act Will Pass In 'Early Spring'

Posted by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake at 10:10 AM on January 4, 2009.

People have been worried about how committed Democratic leaders are to passing the bill. Hoyer set everyone straight this morning.

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Despite Chris Wallace repeating three (count 'em three) times that the Employee Free Choice Act gets rid of the secret ballot (it doesn't), his interview with Rep. Steny Hoyer on Fox News Sunday was very informative. There have been questions about how committed Democratic leaders are to passing bill, and whether its chances would be doomed if they decided to kick the can down the road a year or two.

Hoyer set everyone straight this morning:

Chris Wallace: Are you going to pass it in the first month?
Steny Hoyer: I don't know about the first month but we're going to pass it early.

[]
Chris Wallace: And give me a sense of the time frame -- so you've said maybe not the first month, how soon?
Steny Hoyer: Oh I think it'll be early, I think it'll be early in the year, certainly in the early spring.

Hoyer also said that H.R. 800, which passed the House last year, will be the base bill.

The Chamber of Commerce and NAM really pissed the Dems off with their aggressive ad campaigns against Senate challengers like Jeff Merkley, Tom Udall, Jeanne Shaheen and Al Franken last year. The ads didn't work -- despite the fact that McCain added anti-Employee Free Choice rhetoric to his own stump speech, the public really never fundamentally understood what it was all about and the ads never managed to move the opinion needle.

There has been tension within Congressional leadership between those who don't want to take on the divisive issue of Employee Free Choice right now and those who just want to get it off their plates.

If Steny is right, it looks like Rick Berman overplayed his hand and the latter have won.

Tagged as: congress, labor, unions, employee free choice act, steny hoyer, labor movement, president-elect

Jane Hamsher is the founder of FireDogLake. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect.

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When will Democrats quit appearing on Faux Noose? [Report this comment] Posted by: Quannah on Jan 4, 2009 11:46 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] They are only adding credence to the Republic Propaganda Channel by appearing on these shows. They need to treat Faux Noose as the Echo Chamber it is and let the Wing-Nuts preach to the choir to their hearts' content, and allow them to fall into obscurity where they belong. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] I CERTAINLY HOPE THEY'RE RIGHT [Report this comment] Posted by: VZEQICVA on Jan 4, 2009 1:50 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] People ought to have some say about their working conditions. I guess Walmart is in full battle mode. Nobody minds working for their money, but that does not include degrading people and too many places consider that business as usual. Thanks, ANNA [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] not with 41 repugnicans in the senate... [Report this comment] Posted by: Annapurna1 on Jan 4, 2009 8:46 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] now may be the time for the nucular option...otherwise..the EFCA and other vital legislation is either dead in the water.. or else subject to repugnican blackmail (ie a stripped-down economic stimulus in return for continuing torture)... nor do we need to worry about the nucular option biting the other way in the future ..the democrats never filibustered any of bu$hcos' bullshit.. and they wont the next time around either... [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] leftbank [Report this comment] Posted by: markw4786 on Jan 5, 2009 3:58 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I'd bet my last buck: The cowardly , limp Dems will fold. If anything passes it will not remotely resemble the original proposal. Remember, the Reps and the Chamber of Commerce are against it and when you bring a knife to a gun fight...and you have no convictions (aside from getting re-elected) you loose. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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