To appeal to labor unions during the campaign, Barack Obama promised to "work to ban the permanent replacement of striking workers, so workers can stand up for themselves without worrying about losing their livelihoods."
It was a bold promise, but we've seen no action so far. A search of the Web sites for the White House and the Department of Labor reveal no progress -- nor any sign that Obama has even mentioned the issue.
The practice of employers hiring permanent replacement workers during a strike has always been a sore spot for labor unions. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 prohibits employers from firing workers who strike. However, in 1938 the Supreme Court ruled that employers could hire permanent replacements if it was for "economic reasons."
In 1995, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order that stopped companies that hired permanent replacements from winning federal contracts. But that order was struck down by a federal appeals court.
To fulfill Obama's promise, Congress probably would have to pass a law, according to James Sherk, the Bradley Fellow in Labor Policy at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. "I have seen no interest from Washington in engaging in that fight," Sherk said. We checked Thomas, the Web site that tracks congressional legislation, and couldn't find any bills that would change the law.
Without a whisper on the issue from Obama since Election Day, we're rating this promise Stalled.