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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/6/19/133123.shtml?s=po
Labor Unions Still Hold Appeal for Democrats
NewsMax.com Wires Tuesday, June 19, 2007
WASHINGTON -- They can be found rallying union workers, walking picket lines
or helping sign up new members. Democrats running for president are after
something else this time of year: the endorsements of the oh-so-important
labor unions.
When organized labor calls, the Democratic candidates are there.
"You take politics seriously," Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham
Clinton told the green-shirted American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees union at a candidates forum Tuesday morning. "You
understand that we have to organize in order to change the direction of this
country."
Clinton isn't alone in courting labor to get a push in the early primary
states.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, begins union speeches with "Solidarity
Forever!" Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., relocated an important Chicago
fundraiser because it had been booked in a nonunion locale. Former Sen. John
Edwards, D-N.C., wrote letters urging R.J. Reynolds Co. employees in his
state to unionize.
"We think that it's really important for candidates not only to talk the
right talk but actually walk the right talk," said Anna Burger,
secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, which has
nearly 2 million members nationwide and a large membership in the early
voting states of Iowa and Nevada.
More than for any other interest groups, Democratic candidates line up to
participate in union presidential forums, like the AFSCME one on Tuesday, or
the 10-million member AFL-CIO's candidate forums, in which candidates speak
in town hall-style formats in different cities, to curry favor.
Unions place a high value on that face time.
"If someone says, 'I don't care enough about your organization to come and
talk to you,' that might knock them out," said Edward J. McElroy, president
of the American Federation of Teachers, whose executive council held private
interviews with five of the Democratic candidates in May and plans to do
more in July.
National Education Association President Reg Weaver points out even today
that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry didn't come to their
representative assembly. Kerry had a good reason, though. It was the same
day he announced that Edwards would be his running mate, Weaver said.
Still, it "really, really did not sit well with people," said Weaver, who
expects six or seven candidates to show up at the meeting in Philadelphia
the first week in July.
Despite their shrinking numbers, union support is still vital for Democrats.
Last year, there were 15.4 million union members, making up 12 percent of
the work force. That's down from a high of 21 million union workers in 1978.
But organized labor is still a key fundraising target for Democrats. In the
2004 elections, organized labor gave $53.6 million to Democratic candidates
and party committees in a losing effort to capture both the White House and
Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Unions expect to surpass both numbers for the 2008 elections, an amount any
of the Democratic candidates would covet. Yet the money is only one aspect,
said Richard Hurd, professor of labor studies at Cornell University.
"More important is the people to work on the ground campaigns. That's where
the labor movement excels," Hurd said. "And even though the numbers have
declined in terms of labor's membership, the effectiveness of unions at
getting their members to volunteer and work on campaigns and turning out
members and actually influencing the votes of nonmembers, all of that has
improved."
Despite all the candidates' wooing, there's no guarantee that the major
unions will endorse anyone, at least before the Democratic primary is over.
They don't have a great track record of picking a winner recently: The only
union endorsing Kerry early in his 2004 run for president was the
International Association of Fire Fighters. Most instead endorsed former
Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt or former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, neither of
whom made it out of the early primaries.
"The risk with an early endorsement is that the early endorsement flames
out, and you're left with no one owing you anything," said Gary Chaison,
professor of industrial relations at Clark University.
The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of labor unions, didn't endorse
anyone in the primary last time. Its rules say two-thirds of the individual
unions that make up the AFL-CIO must agree on a candidate before an
endorsement, and that didn't happen.
Other unions seem to be considering that route.
"With so many friends of labor on the Democratic side, we have not
determined whether or not we will move forward with an endorsement process
at this time," said Bret Caldwell, spokesman for the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Added McElroy: "Part of this is electability. Everybody wants to be in on
the right horse. But I'm not as worried about that as I am worried about
making sure that whoever we end up behind is basically in support of the
values we hold near and dear, and also is somebody who can win."
Labor Unions Still Hold Appeal for Democrats
NewsMax.com Wires Tuesday, June 19, 2007
WASHINGTON -- They can be found rallying union workers, walking picket lines
or helping sign up new members. Democrats running for president are after
something else this time of year: the endorsements of the oh-so-important
labor unions.
When organized labor calls, the Democratic candidates are there.
"You take politics seriously," Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham
Clinton told the green-shirted American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees union at a candidates forum Tuesday morning. "You
understand that we have to organize in order to change the direction of this
country."
Clinton isn't alone in courting labor to get a push in the early primary
states.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, begins union speeches with "Solidarity
Forever!" Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., relocated an important Chicago
fundraiser because it had been booked in a nonunion locale. Former Sen. John
Edwards, D-N.C., wrote letters urging R.J. Reynolds Co. employees in his
state to unionize.
"We think that it's really important for candidates not only to talk the
right talk but actually walk the right talk," said Anna Burger,
secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, which has
nearly 2 million members nationwide and a large membership in the early
voting states of Iowa and Nevada.
More than for any other interest groups, Democratic candidates line up to
participate in union presidential forums, like the AFSCME one on Tuesday, or
the 10-million member AFL-CIO's candidate forums, in which candidates speak
in town hall-style formats in different cities, to curry favor.
Unions place a high value on that face time.
"If someone says, 'I don't care enough about your organization to come and
talk to you,' that might knock them out," said Edward J. McElroy, president
of the American Federation of Teachers, whose executive council held private
interviews with five of the Democratic candidates in May and plans to do
more in July.
National Education Association President Reg Weaver points out even today
that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry didn't come to their
representative assembly. Kerry had a good reason, though. It was the same
day he announced that Edwards would be his running mate, Weaver said.
Still, it "really, really did not sit well with people," said Weaver, who
expects six or seven candidates to show up at the meeting in Philadelphia
the first week in July.
Despite their shrinking numbers, union support is still vital for Democrats.
Last year, there were 15.4 million union members, making up 12 percent of
the work force. That's down from a high of 21 million union workers in 1978.
But organized labor is still a key fundraising target for Democrats. In the
2004 elections, organized labor gave $53.6 million to Democratic candidates
and party committees in a losing effort to capture both the White House and
Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Unions expect to surpass both numbers for the 2008 elections, an amount any
of the Democratic candidates would covet. Yet the money is only one aspect,
said Richard Hurd, professor of labor studies at Cornell University.
"More important is the people to work on the ground campaigns. That's where
the labor movement excels," Hurd said. "And even though the numbers have
declined in terms of labor's membership, the effectiveness of unions at
getting their members to volunteer and work on campaigns and turning out
members and actually influencing the votes of nonmembers, all of that has
improved."
Despite all the candidates' wooing, there's no guarantee that the major
unions will endorse anyone, at least before the Democratic primary is over.
They don't have a great track record of picking a winner recently: The only
union endorsing Kerry early in his 2004 run for president was the
International Association of Fire Fighters. Most instead endorsed former
Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt or former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, neither of
whom made it out of the early primaries.
"The risk with an early endorsement is that the early endorsement flames
out, and you're left with no one owing you anything," said Gary Chaison,
professor of industrial relations at Clark University.
The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of labor unions, didn't endorse
anyone in the primary last time. Its rules say two-thirds of the individual
unions that make up the AFL-CIO must agree on a candidate before an
endorsement, and that didn't happen.
Other unions seem to be considering that route.
"With so many friends of labor on the Democratic side, we have not
determined whether or not we will move forward with an endorsement process
at this time," said Bret Caldwell, spokesman for the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Added McElroy: "Part of this is electability. Everybody wants to be in on
the right horse. But I'm not as worried about that as I am worried about
making sure that whoever we end up behind is basically in support of the
values we hold near and dear, and also is somebody who can win."
