The House passed the measure, the Employee Free Choice Act, on March 1 by a 241-135 vote, short of the two-thirds margin needed to override a veto.
The bill would certify a union if a majority of employees at a workplace sign authorizations to designate the union as their bargaining representative. It also toughens penalties against employers for National Labor Relations Act violations during organizing drives. House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.), the bill’s sponsor, said that “its enactment is critical to ensuring that the American economy benefits everyone.”