Unions Targeting GOPers, Including Rep. Shadegg, On EFCA

Members of the powerful Service Employees International Union are working members of Congress, including House Republicans, in an effort to drum up support for the Employee Free Choice Act.

A spokesman for Rep. John Shadegg, a conservative from Arizona, confirmed that on Tuesday members of the Congressman's legislative staff held conversations with union officials on the labor-legislative priority. He added that the SEIU and others likely "dropped by a lot of offices" to talk about EFCA.

Labor officials have by and large shied away from publicizing which Republicans they are targeting in the EFCA debate, believing that the spotlight would encourage business groups to respond with resources of their own. In that context, it is noteworthy that Shadegg - while likely not persuadable - is being courted by the unions.

That said, an official working for EFCA's passage said he and others were casting a wide net, "meeting with Republicans in both chambers to build greater support." Already, the source added, they had made marginal gains among Republicans in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, union forces might be gaining some traction as well. As noted by Greg Sargent at The Plumb Line, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski recently expressed a willingness to compromise on the bill while speaking in the Alaska State Legislature several weeks ago.