WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 400 people, including Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) members, members of Congress and legislative staffers, were at the Aftermarket Summit Congressional Reception last week in Washington, D.C. to kick off AAIA’s 2009 Aftermarket Legislative Summit. Held in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, the reception featured special guest Michael Waltrip, owner of Michael Waltrip Racing and past Daytona 500 winner, sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts. The reception offered the opportunity for summit attendees to network with their peers and meet legislative officials in advance of the next day’s meetings with their legislators. 
A legislative briefing session preceded the reception, where state delegations of AAIA members from across the country were updated on issues to be discussed with their members of Congress during meetings scheduled on March 12. Issues slated to be discussed with elected officials included the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, "Cash for Clunkers" programs and the Employee Free Choice Act. Guest speakers at the briefing included Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif., and Rob Green, vice president, government and political affairs, National Retail Federation. More than 125 AAIA members attended the more than 100 pre-scheduled meetings with their members of Congress to discuss these topics and lobby on behalf of the aftermarket’s interests.
One of the topics being discussed last week was the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also known as "Card Check" legislation, which was introduced March 10 in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate (bill numbers H.R. 1409 and S. 560, respectively). If passed, card check legislation would allow shops to unionize if 50 percent plus one of its employees simply signs the card. The biggest fears about the legislation are that it strips the American worker of their federally-protected right to a private ballot (co-workers, employers and union leaders would all know how each employee "voted"), would allow the decision over whether or not to unionize to become subject to interference and intimidation, and would force mandatory binding arbitration on both the employer and the collective bargaining unit.
The battle over card check legislation is expected to be as contentious as any this year. The Senate version of the legislation currently has 39 co-sponsors and the House version has 222. Both of these numbers are down from the number of legislators to sign on in support of the legislation in the previous Congress (when 46 and 223 co-sponsors signed on, respectively). With 222 co-sponsors, the House version of the bill already has enough votes to pass (with a simple majority of only 218 needed). However, the bill is scheduled to go to the Senate first, where 60 votes will be needed to break an expected filibuster and to move the bill to an up or down vote. Support for the bill is decidedly partisan, with all co-sponsors of each version of the bill being Democrats.
In the last Congress, even if Congress had the votes to pass EFCA, the Bush administration would not have signed the bill into law. Since President Obama has offered his support, it appears that the vote in the Senate may determine the fate of the legislation.
To make your opinion on the matter known, visit AAIA’s Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/aftermarket/home.
