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WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Tuesday to give 45,000 airport screeners the same union rights as border patrol, customs and immigration agents, despite a veto threat from the White House.
The 51-46 vote was on an amendment by Sen. Jim DeMint (news, voting record), R-S.C., to remove the union rights from a broad anti-terrorism bill to implement recommendations of the 9/11 commission previously rejected by Congress. The Senate expects to complete work on the bill by the end of the week.
The House passed a similar anti-terrorism bill with the same union provision for airport screeners in an indication of organized labor's strength with Democrats now running Congress.
Republicans vowed to strike the union provision when negotiators sit down to merge the House and Senate bills together to implement recommendations of the 9/11 commission previously rejected by Congress.
"We're not going to let big labor compromise national security," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record), R-Ky., noting there are not enough votes in either the House or Senate to override a veto by President Bush.
Let me get this right, okay? The Bush house of hoods is going to veto this bill because it would compromise national security as long as the amendment for airport screeners is included? Actually I should say because big labor will compromise our security?
If this bill is veto' d by Bush, then isn't he compromising national security himself? For that matter, isn't the federal government practicing discrimination by allowing the border patrol and the immigration agents to be unionized but not the screeners?
