historical union membership
Or, to put it more simply:
1) Specter, who is in danger of a strong challenge from the right during his nomination contest in 2010, is moving right to secure his flank. If he had planned to run as an independent, he’d be planning to vote for EFCA.
2) Right now there are no other Republican Senators who say they’ll vote yes. Even once Al Franken is confirmed to the Senate at least one Republican will have to be turned.
Getting EFCA through is likely to be a bruising fight. But it’s the one thing Democrats union allies absolutely want and need to have. They won’t forgive Obama or Congressional Dems who blink on this because without it, the union movement in America will likely continue its long term decline.