Organized labor is "very close" to winning a breakthrough legislative victory that could help restore a healthy middle class, a top national union official said in Lincoln.

"We want to reverse a 30-year assault on the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively," said Stewart Acuff, special assistant to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

Acuff is spearheading the drive to win enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would allow workers to choose union representation at their workplace without a secret ballot vote.

Under current law, employers can demand a secret ballot vote even if a majority of workers signs cards seeking union representation.

"Employers routinely fire, intimidate and harass workers when they try to form a union," Acuff said.

"This would lessen the time they have to threaten workers."

The union bill includes provisions that allow workers to decide whether they want a secret ballot vote, he said.

Acuff says he hopes "people of goodwill" in Nebraska will encourage Sens. Mike Johanns and Ben Nelson to support the bill.

Nelson is the real target.

Although he ultimately may join Johanns and Nebraska's three House members in opposing the legislation, labor hopes to gain his support for a cloture motion that would end a Senate filibuster and allow the bill to receive a final vote.

"Nelson is a Nebraska Democrat, not a Washington Democrat," Acuff said.

"He's a practical man. And it's on us to make the case that this is practical legislation."

Acuff, former organizing director of the AFL-CIO, said Senate action would await the arrival of a 59th Democratic senator. Al Franken appears on the brink of finally winning the contested election for a Minnesota seat.

Then, the search intensifies for one or more Republicans to help clear the 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster.

Among the possibilities, Acuff said, are Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Lisa Murkowsi of Alaska and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine.

Nebraska workers in meatpacking, health care and construction are awaiting a fair opportunity to organize their workplaces, Acuff said.

"Unions created the modern American middle class," he said.

As union membership has declined to 12.5 percent of the American work force, he said, so has the middle class.

"Productivity over the last 30 years is up 75 percent. But wages over the last 25 years have flatlined and, in fact, declined (in real terms) over the last eight years."

In 1980, Acuff said, average CEO pay was 40 times greater than that of the average worker. Now, he said, CEO pay is 400 times as high.

"Inequality never has been as great," he said. "The country needs a strong counterweight to corporate power."

A stronger middle class also would enhance consumer spending, Acuff said.

And that's a vital pathway out of economic recession, he said.

For labor, this is its most important piece of legislation since 1935, Acuff said.

"This is it."

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com.