The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make it easier for employees to organize unions in the workplace, was introduced in the House and the Senate Tuesday.
The chief sponsors of the act are Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.).
The bill would dramatically reform labor laws by allowing workers to form unions by simply signing a card or petition, removing an employer's right to demand a secret ballot vote. It also would impose stronger penalties on employers who violate labor laws and allow for arbitration to settle contract disputes.
The bill pits labor interests against business interests in a hot-button issue that could have impact on employers in all industries.
Bradley Fulton, an attorney at DeWitt Ross & Stevens, a law firm with offices in Madison and Brookfield, wrote in a recent Milwaukee Biz Blog that the law would have an adverse effect on businesses and would not be fair for employees.
"It is not hard to see how truly undemocratic the EFCA really is: imagine sitting at your kitchen table with your family and a co-worker shows up at the door with two union representatives and wants to 'talk to you.' If you don't sign the union authorization card at that point, those same individuals will 'meet you' in the parking lot before or after work and again ask you to sign the card," Fulton wrote. "If you still say no, the union will use a couple of your 'friends' at work to pressure you further. You will be told that your co-workers have enough cards signed to support the union (even though they do not) and that if you do not sign the card, you will be supporting the company and are a traitor to your co-workers - you are either 'with us or against us.' Eventually, you will sign the card just so the union and your co-workers will leave you alone or because you are afraid of being ostracized in the workplace. Next thing you know, a majority of the employees sign cards and the union is in, just like that. As draconian as it sounds, this is precisely what will happen when the EFCA becomes law."
Supporters of the bill say the changes are needed to address decades of erosion of workers' rights and to restore the American middle class.
"If we want to have a fair and sustainable recovery from this economic crisis, we must give workers the ability to stand up," Miller said.
Democratic leaders hinted Tuesday that compromise on the enforcement of the "card check" bill law may be needed to get passage through Congress.
"There might be some amendments that don't destroy the underpinnings of the bill, maybe provide for better enforcement," Harkin said. "That type of thing might be acceptable."
Seth Michaels, a spokesman for the AFL-CIO, said the labor organization is confident the EFCA will become the law of the land.
"Today is a banner day for working Americans, a milestone on the road to rebuilding our nation's middle class - and it couldn't come at a more crucial time. We thank the House of Representatives and the Senate for introducing the Employee Free Choice Act, which will restore workers' freedom to bargain for fair wages, job security, better health care and secure pensions," Michaels wrote in his blog.

The volume of mortgage applications filed last week increased a seasonally adjusted 11.3 percent compared with the final week of February, as borrowers moved to lock in lower interest rates charged on fixed-rate mortgages, according to the latest statistics released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today.
Applications for new mortgages to purchase homes rose a seasonally adjusted 7.1 percent last week, while refinancing applications increased 13.3 percent.
Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.96 percent last week, down from 5.14 percent in the week ended Feb. 27. The average for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages sank to 4.54 percent from 4.73 percent in the previous week.
However, one-year adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) carried an average rate of 6.21 percent last week, up from 6.13 percent.

Vital Media Group LLC, the former publishers of Vital Source Magazine, today announced the launch of ThirdCoast Digest, located on the web at www.thirdcoastdigest.com.
The new website will continue Vital Source's commitment to covering local arts, culture and community, publishing new features, stories, reviews and more every Thursday. ThirdCoast Digest will also offer a weekly podcast available for streaming or download each Wednesday, plus videos and more.
In addition to Vital Source's content, the website will broaden its focus by publishing the work of local independent media partners and bloggers. To date, ThirdCoast has partnered with major collaborator Footlights and with WMSE, Radio Milwaukee, Fan-belt Milwaukee and Bay View Compass.
"There's so much relevant information and lively discussion out there on local blogs and smaller websites, but it's sometimes hard to find - and there is much to keep track of," said ThirdCoast publisher Jon Anne Willow. "We've combed the web in an effort to create a central starting point for a broader conversation about, and perspective on, our city."

LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corp.) Milwaukee, a nonprofit organization that provides loans, grants, equity investments as well as technical and management assistance to help rebuild Milwaukee's neighborhoods, announced the appointment of Mark Lemke, and Catherine Madden as the new co-chairs of its board of directors.
Both individuals have been on the board for two to three years and most recently have served on the LISC Executive Committee and Credit Committee.  The board, consisting of volunteers from the city's corporate and foundation sectors, approves investment decisions and provides strategic and policy direction for LISC's work in revitalizing Milwaukee neighborhoods. LISC, the nation's leading community development support organization, has been working in Milwaukee since 1995.
Lemke is vice chairman and chief executive officer of The PrivateBank-Wisconsin, and Madden came to Milwaukee in 2006, when her husband, Jeff Yabuki, was named CEO of Brookfield-based Fiserv Inc. Madden has been involved with several organizations in the community. She previously was a senior executive with American Express in Minneapolis.
Lemke and Madden will succeed outgoing LISC chairman Michael Weiss, who is president of the General Capital Group LLP. Under Weiss' watch, LISC invested more than $10 million in Milwaukee's underserved neighborhoods.
LISC will conduct its 10th annual Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI) dinner and ceremony on Thursday, March 19, at the Harley-Davidson Museum. For additional information, call (414) 273-1815.

George Webb Restaurants is opening its newest restaurant in Sussex today.
The newest Webb's is located at N65 W24838 Main St. at the intersection with Highway. 164.
The restaurant will be the third location owned by Dan and Peggy Mueller.
"I grew up in Sussex and am a graduate of Sussex-Hamilton High School, so we've always talked about opening a location here when the time was right," Dan Mueller said. "Well, the time is right.  Sussex is a booming and growing community, so we're excited."
The new 2,000-square-foot restaurant will be smoke-free and will include a private meeting area that will hold 15 to 20 people.

Supporting an environment for innovative technology, high-tech job creation and economic growth are key priorities for Wired Wisconsin, a new nonprofit coalition of concerned individuals, businesses and organizations working together to create a unified path forward in technology development.
"Our coalition recognizes that technological growth depends on drawing ideas and knowledge from many sources," said Thad Nation, executive director of Wired Wisconsin. "Wired Wisconsin will be the connection to link them together."
The coalition will work to educate policy-makers, consumers and businesses about technology-related legislative and regulatory issues that impact the lives of Wisconsin citizens, and advocate for common-sense approaches to spur innovation and grow the economy, Nation said.
"Wisconsin is in an ideal position to take advantage of the world-class research institutions, innovative businesses, and natural and intellectual resources the state offers to drive economic growth," Nation said. "From wireless technologies and broadband deployment to green technologies to tele-medicine - and everything in between - Wired Wisconsin will advocate for technological development to keep Wisconsin moving forward."
For more information, visit www.wiredwisconsin.com.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the winners of its 2009 Small Business Champions of the Year Awards.
The SBA Wisconsin's winners are:

• SBA Small Business Journalist of the Year - Michael Klein of WTN Media (Wisconsin Technology Network), Verona.
• SBA Financial Services Champion - Michael Phillips, vice president, National City Bank, Milwaukee.
• SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year - LaToya Robbins, owner/operator of LaPre Enterprises Inc. d/b/a X-Cite Childcare in Racine.
• SBA Woman In Business Champion - Laurie Benson, CEO of Inacom Information Systems, Madison.
• SBA Small Business Exporter Champion - Daniel Schwarz, president/owner of Dan's Fish Inc. in Sturgeon Bay.
• SBA Minority Small Business Champion - Wallace White, principal/CEO of W2 Excel LLC in Milwaukee.
• SBA Home Based Business Champion - Russell Roberts, manager of the Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) Small Business Center.
• SBA Veteran Small Business Champion - Carl Bogar, local veterans employment representative for theWisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Office of Veteran Affairs.
• Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year - TAPCO (Traffic & Parking Control Co. Inc.), Brown Deer.
• SBA Emerging Small Business Person of the Year - Lisa Piikkila, co-owner/creative director, and Michelle Richard, co-owner/director of operations of Coalesce Inc. in Appleton.
• SBA Minority Small Person of the Year - Jorge Lopez, president of Nuvo Construction in Milwaukee.
• Small Business Development Center Service Excellence Award – The Small Business Development Center in Madison.
• Women's Business Center Service Excellence - Wendy Baumann, president of Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) in Milwaukee.
• Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery - Stephanie Wright, pwner of Wright Care Kiddie Kampus Day Care & Preschool in Fond du Lac.

The Wisconsin SBA celebration will honor the winners on  June 5 at SBA and SCORE's Awards Presentation Breakfast at Country Springs Inn and Resort in Waukesha. For more information, contact Mary Trimmier at (414) 297-1093.

An early morning rally today helped the Dow Jones Industrials rise above the 7,000 mark for the first time since March 2, but the market flattened out later in the morning.
Today's fluctuations came one day after the Dow climbed 379.44, or 5.8 percent, on Tuesday, its largest one-day gain since November.
The BizTimes Stock Index, which measures the values of stocks of publicly traded companies based in southeastern Wisconsin, also benefited from Tuesday's rally, jumping 4.07 points to close at 67.90.
Local stocks were mixed this morning. The largest local gainers this morning were Badger Meter Inc. (up $1.12 to $26.87) and Metavante Technologies Inc. (up 77 cents to $17.86). The largest local decliners this morning were Strattec Security Corp. (down 39 cents to $6.61) and Bucyrus International Inc. (down 29 cents to $12.91).

The Toro Co. is laying off 235 people in Tomah with hopes of recalling them in the future. Currently, about 650 people work at the plant, which makes turf maintenance equipment for golf courses, sports fields and other properties. Read more in BizTimes Milwaukee's daily roundup of headlines from newspapers across the state at www.biztimes.com/#news.
Four other employers notified the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development that they will be closing their shops and/or laying off workers this week.
Berntsen Foundry in Madison announced a temporary layoff of unknown duration affecting 57 employees.
Sportsman's Warehouse Inc. announced it will close its stores in New Berlin and De Pere, eliminating 125 jobs.
Spuncast Inc. announced it will lay off 13 additional workers at its Watertown plant.
Tramont Corp. of Milwaukee announced a potential layoff of up to 48 employees. The company said it hopes its layoffs will be temporary.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's proposed Pension Obligation Bonding (POB) plan is a risk that Milwaukee County taxpayers cannot afford to take, according to Supervisor John Weishan, author of today's Milwaukee Biz Blog.