The story of the Employee Free Choice Act, however it ends, is going to take a long time to playout. We noted last week that the bill would get dropped today and it has with labor talking up the measure that would make it easier to form unions and business striking out against it. While its passage is ensured in the House of Representatives, where it passed last year, it's fate in the Senate is less certain. Last year, it looked like all Democrats would support the measure and at least one Republican, Arlen Specter. (In the House, only one Republican supported the measure: Pete King of New York.)

So what is the administration doing to shore up support for the measure? Well, most importantly they've spoken out for it. Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis all endorsed the measure at least week's meeting of the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO in Florida. At the moment, there's no massive White House lobbying campaign to get the bill passed. I'm told it's not what they're lobbying for right now. That will come later.

For now, labor and EFCA-supporting leaders in the House and the Senate have the reins although it's a safe bet that EFCA will come up when Joe Biden travels to Arkansas to kick off the reelection campaign of Blanche Lincoln, one of the wavering Dems. Labor is confident, though, that the Democrats will come around in the end. Says one labor official: "We're confident we'll get to 60 one way or the other."