Senators negotiating compromise on homeland labor issues

Republican and Democratic senators have begun negotiations to find a compromise on the labor protections that would cover tens of thousands of employees of the new Homeland Security Department, but no deal has been reached.

According to Senate sources, Sens. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and John Breaux, D-La., are leading separate efforts to reach a compromise with senators from both parties. Voinovich, who voted for the labor protections in the current bill during committee action in August, is said to represent the administration's point of view.

Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., told reporters Tuesday that "we're trying to find a way to protect the president's right" to have some flexibility over labor protections for unionized homeland security workers "but do it in the daylight." Lott said Republicans may be willing to accept language that would permit employees who lose labor protections to appeal the decision.

"Everybody is looking for some sort of compromise, but so far nothing has stuck yet," said a spokeswoman for Governmental Affairs ranking member Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.

The separate negotiations could lead to a landmark deal on the labor provisions, which remain the key sticking point between President Bush and congressional Democrats on the homeland legislation.

The White House Tuesday criticized the Senate's pace of action on the homeland security bill. "The progress of the legislation could be summed up in one word, and that is `slow,'" said White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. "It still has to go to a conference committee, and there's not that much time left in this Congress."

In other action on the homeland bill, senators were expected to vote as early as Tuesday afternoon on an amendment that would exempt White House Homeland Security Office Director Tom Ridge from Senate confirmation. Afterward, the Senate was scheduled to take up an amendment to require congressional approval of each major step in the administration's implementation of the new department.

Other debates could begin this week on an amendment to bolster security at chemical plants and, perhaps, to remove the Davis-Bacon language from the bill.

Both sides said Tuesday that they hope to wrap up work on the Homeland Security Department legislation by the end of next week.