I kept C-SPAN on during lunch and watched the cloture vote on the Employee Free Choice Act. It seems as though we've lost this battle for now, albeit it's a battle we can't currently win.
The vote was 51-48.
By my count the only Republican to flip was Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania. Mr. Johnson of South Dakota was the lone abstention. Essentially a straight party vote, the EFCA won't even have the symbolic chance of a Presidential veto.
Let's see how our "moderate" Republican friends in Minnesota, Oregon, New Hampshire, and Maine do with the unions in 2008.
Update 1: The AFL-CIO has a blog posting up already. As their words are much more articulate than mine, allow me to quote:
The battle for the Employee Free Choice Act moves to the 2008 election after a handful of obstructionist senators have blocked a vote on the bill. On a vote of 51-48, the Senate voted for cloture, that is, shutting off debate. Sixty votes were needed to invoke cloture and end the debate and move to a vote on the bill. So even though a majority of the Senate voted for cloture, a small group of Republicans denied workers a free choice to join a union.
But the momentum for this bill is growing. The grassroots movement behind this legislation is bigger and more exciting than anyone believed last year. Working families across the country mounted a massive campaign to win passage of the bill. Sixteen governors and nearly 1,300 state and local elected officials expressed support for the legislation in all 50 states. Seven presidential candidates also back the bill.
Update 2: Thanks to Newsie8200 for the great suggestion. Let's make sure that we send a message to so called "moderate" Republican Senators up for re-election that voting against the EFCA is voting against the interests of working class people.
Senator Sue Collins: Voted NO
Help Defeat Her
Senator Norm Coleman: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Gordon Smith: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator John Sununu: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Libby Dole: Voted NO
Help Defeat Her
Senator James Inhofe: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Ted Stevens: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Lamar Alexander: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Mitch McConnell: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Jeff Sessions: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Senator Pete Domenici: Voted NO
Help Defeat Him
Update 3: Roll Call vote is now Up .
As you can see, our Democratic friends in the Senate were united here. This was a straight party vote.
Update 4: Thanks to everyone who recommended this diary. I've blogged in the past about other union activities (specifically the Goodyear strikes) but this is the first time I've gotten on the rec'd list. Kos also posted his own entry on the vote here. This is clearly an important issue, but we need to move on from the idea of passing this legislation to using this vote as a tool against endangered Republicans. I don't want to see any of our brothers and sisters in labor endorsing any of these Republican incumbents, so let's make sure that happens.