March 02, 2009 12:42 PM UTC

Markey, Polis: We Support EFCA

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• by: redstateblues

On Saturday, Democratic activists from around the state got together for the Colorado stop on the Netroots Nation Salon Series: Netroots Nation in Your Neighborhood. Among the panelists at the gathering (which was sponsored by local progressive organizations like AM 760, Progress Now, and Square State) was Colorado AFL-CIO director Mike Cerbo, who let everyone present know how one of the newest members of the Colorado Democratic Congressional delegation feels about the contentious Employee Free Choice Act.

Square State:

During our last panel, Governing as Progressives and Taking Over the Democratic Party, the discussion went to The Employee Free Choice Act … CO AFL-CIO director Mike Cerbo said:

Betsy Markey, one of the people that has probably more incentive than any of the others to sit there and hand wring and hide in the weeds about this stood up front and said ‘I’m going to cosponsor.  I believe in it.’ [rsb emphasis]

In the comments of that diary, Rep. Jared Polis–fresh off his keynote address to the Netroots Nation in Your Neighborhood crowd–chimed in with his own position on the EFCA:

I strongly support the right to organize and plan on supporting the Employee Free Choice Act both in my Committee (Education and Labor) and on the House floor.

We have to make sure that our recovery lifts all boats, and the ability to organize is, now more than ever, critical for working families.

The fact that Polis is supporting this bill should come as no surprise (though the vociferous nature of business-minded Polis’ endorsement does, perhaps, induce a mild eyebrow raise.) Dems in safe Democratic districts should have no trouble voting yes, but without their support, there’s no way frosh Congresswoman Betsy Markey would be able to do so as well.

The direction of this bill in the House is clearly heading toward approval–it’s when the bill goes to the Senate, where Mark Udall and Michael Bennet must decide their positions on it, that the future of the EFCA becomes significantly murkier.