Yesterday’s Washington Examiner reports that the Democrats in the Senate have denied the seniority that Senator Specter had understood was his in return for switching parties.  I guess there is something to the old adage “Get It In Writing!”.  It is also interesting to note that on Monday, Real Clear Politics ran an article by Michael Barone on what the passage of ‘card check’ would mean to the businesses in America.  Arlen Specter has repeatedly stated that he was opposed to both major aspects of ‘card check’. 

Card check has two major provisions–the first is to end the secret ballot in elections by employees of a company to determine whether or not to unionize, the second provision of card check would require, after only 120 days of bargaining, a federal arbitrator to step in and impose a new labor agreement on the company with the recently formed union.  This provision means that the union has no reason to negotiate an agreement in good faith–the government will come in and write the agreement.  Since we currently have a government that is not pro-business, the outcome would probably bankrupt the company.  For example, let’s say a non-union auto manufacturing plant is pushed into unionizing by card check.  The government might impose the same sort of labor contract on that company that the auto unions have imposed on the Detriot auto companies.  The consequences of that would be the end of the company.

Anyway, I hope Senator Specter does not change his mind on opposing card check.  It is obvious that the Democrats are playing hardball with him (denying the ‘promised’ seniority), and it will be interesting to see if he caves.