This afternoon Senator Hatch spoke to a standing room-only audience of over one hundred small business owners at the new Capitol visitor’s center.  For him, the battle over the proposed Employee Free Choice Act is still very much alive. 

The Senator didn’t mix words in speaking out against EFCA.  He pointed out that he is one of the only Senators to have actually learned a trade and come up through the unions, so he knows the important role that organized labor plays.  But, he said, EFCA would tilt the balance of our laws way too far to the advantage of organized labor.  A balance the Senator feels already favors labor interests over business interests.

In closing, the Senator offered thanks and encouragement to the group as they headed out to meet with their respective Congressmen.  He said that the battle over card check wasn’t going to be easy, but that we needed to get involved and to fight.  “You think you’re having a hard time now with your business, you just wait until this thing passes”, he said.

You could see heads nodding up and down as he concluded his remarks.  In speaking with Small Business Summit guests, it is clear to me that the Employee Free Choice Act is something a lot of small business owners have had on their minds for months.  The following video is a representative example.