Interest groups on both sides of the debate over the Employee Free Choice Act aren't letting the inauguration get in the way of their messages to Congress. Two groups -- American Rights at Work and the Employee Freedom Action Committee -- have been flooding the inside-the-Beltway crowd with ads this week.

The legislation, also known as "card check," would make it easier for unions to organize, but opponents argue that its provision allowing unionization without a secret-ballot vote is undemocratic.

Josh Goldstein, a spokesman for the pro-labor group American Rights At Work, said he has an "extremely positive outlook" for the bill being taken up early in Barack Obama's tenure, but the incoming president signaled otherwise in an interview with the Washington Post's editorial board Thursday.

"If we're losing half a million jobs a month, then there are no jobs to unionize, so my focus first is on those key economic priority items," Obama told the Post. He added that he is open to considering "other mechanisms" to address the conflict between unions and employers, but he wouldn't say whether he wanted to see the issue debated during his first year in office, the Post said.

American Rights At Work released two nationwide TV ads this week showing workers expressing hope that the law could help them get better pay, health insurance and job security.

"We wanted to make a point this time to have workers be the voice of this campaign," Goldstein said, noting differences between the new ads and past spots. The group is also running print ads in Capitol Hill publications.

But Justin Wilson, managing director of the pro-business Employee Freedom Action Committee, said he sees the shift in strategy as a clear sign that previous approaches have not worked for American Rights at Work. While not running TV ads right now, Wilson's group is also targeting lawmakers with online ads claiming that an overwhelming majority of newspaper editorial boards oppose card check.

Goldstein said the momentum for the legislation has been mounting since 2007, and that lawmakers, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., have said passing it will be an early priority for the 111th Congress. Even the incoming president's statements in the Post interview, Goldstein said, still indicate that he's an adamant supporter of the bill. Wilson, on the other hand, said he hasn't heard anything about its placement on the new administration's agenda.

                                                                                                                    --Amy Harder