U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Falmouth) and Susan Collins (R-Bangor) are widely considered to be the two swing votes in the U.S. Senate, and will be the most sought after votes on a number of upcoming bills that break down partisan lines.
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) held a conference call with bloggers this morning to address the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that aims to make it easier for unions to organize. Most Republicans oppose the bill. However, Democrats might only need one more Republican vote to get a filibuster-proof majority in support of the bill, DeMint said.
Snowe and Collins both oppose the bill on the grounds that it provides a means for workers to circumvent the private ballot process. Under the current system, union organizers must collect signed authorization cards from 30 percent of the potential bargaining unit. That triggers an election, and if a majority approve, then the union is formed.
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