Despite his vow to keep an open ear on the job-killing Card Check bill, Florida U.S. Senate candidate Gov. Charlie Crist (I) lost out on the Florida AFL-CIO’s endorsement to Democrat Kendrick Meek over the weekend.  In a speech before the Florida AFL-CIO just days before, Crist promised to meet with union officials to discuss his stance on the bill, stating according to the Florida Times-Union:

Everybody should have the right to have an opportunity to be able to organize. How, and the direct means by which, we do that is something we need to dialogue about, candidly. I want to make sure we do it the right way. I am here.

Apparently that didn’t cut it for organized labor, which is hitting the campaign trail to pin U.S. Senate candidates on their positions on Card Check, often on camera.  One thing is for sure, with labor going all out in key Senate races in states like Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Florida, the unions seem to be sending the message that their endorsements and money will only follow full-throated endorsements of Card Check.

Meanwhile, labor is also pushing for an election year vote on the Card Check bill, most likely in the form of attaching it to other legislation.  The labor movement wants to get Senators on record with a vote and attempt to show long term momentum by gaining more Senate votes than the last time the bill came up in 2007.  The business community must be vigilant to make sure that any such vote fails by as wide a margin as possible to put this issue away for good.