The folks at EPI have put together a statement in support of the Employee Free Choice Act, which includes some of the usual suspects -- hey, it's our own Dean Baker! -- and some more surprising supporters, like Jagdish Bhagwati*, who despite being a very strict free-trader apparently believes that strong unions have their place in a capitalist society. There are also two Nobel laureates, for what that's worth -- Kenneth Arrow and Robert Solow. For now, majority sign-up legislation remains in limbo -- the Blue Dogs are asking that the House wait until the Senate passes the bill before they consider it, which is sort-of-kinda reasonable since the real sticking point is in the Senate anyways and it doesn't make sense to really twist arms in the House unless you know it's going through the upper chamber. But at least Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was confirmed yesterday and can begin work not only improving her department, especially its enforcement procedures, but also using her bully pulpit to lobby members of Congress to support the legislation, which has yet to be formally introduced.
-- Tim Fernholz
*True story: I was once in a short-lived band called "Jagdish Bhagwati and the Rhythm Method."
