Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill that would have allowed labor unions to organize workplaces without holding secret-ballot elections, the Associated Press reported.
The measure passed by a 51-48 vote but Democrats, backing unions, were unable to get the 60 votes necessary to force consideration of the Employee Free Choice Act, ending organized labor’s chance to win a top legislative priority, AP said.
The measure was also known as a “card-check” bill because it would require companies to recognize a union when a majority of workers signed a card expressing support for organizing, ending a requirement for a union election, Bloomberg reported.
The House passed the bill in March, 241-185, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vowed to stop the bill in the Senate. The White House also made clear that President Bush would veto the bill, AP said.
In a statement, the Teamsters union applauded the vote’s majority. More than half of employers, 51%, threaten to close plants if workers choose to join a union, the union’s statement said.
Democrats and labor unions had pressed for a vote in the Senate in hopes of rallying their voters in next year’s elections, where they hope to win the White House and increase their majorities in the both the House and Senate, AP reported.
