Democrats Stress Working Family Issues

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/08/08/democrats-courting-favor-with-unions/

by Seth Michaels, Aug 8, 2007

We need a president who’s going to take the direction of the people. A president who values, who respects the rights of workers.”

That’s Kelly Beringer, one of the nurses fighting to form a union for the workers of Resurrection Health Care. CNN used Beringer’s fight as a lead-in to discuss the growing recognition of the importance of the labor movement. You can watch CNN’s story here: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/07/labor.democrats/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Beringer knows that unity provides the same benefits for working people in the political realm as it does in the workplace: It allows ordinary people a stake in the process.

Refreshingly, it seems that the Democrats running for president understand that as well.

Their attendance at yesterday’s AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum is just one sign that Democrats understand they can’t take unions for granted. Sens. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Barack Obama and Rep. Dennis Kucinich are all Employee Free Choice Act co-sponsors, and Edwards was a co-sponsor during his time in the Senate. As governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson pushed for and won collective bargaining rights for public employees. Edwards and Obama have been active on picket lines.

All these candidates have been willing to stress the issues that matter to working families: health care, good wages, fair trade policies and the importance of unions to the growth of a vibrant middle class.“We’re blessed with an abundance” of good candidates,” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told CNN’s Candy Crowley.

Union members are excited about the 2008 election and ready to work hard. After the past six and a half years, working families understand that they have to speak up and demand that candidates understand their priorities and fight for their interests.