Labor Works on Election Clout

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Labor Works on Election Clout

The Wall Street Journal

Labor Works on Election Clout
Edwards Leads in Endorsements For Now as AFL-CIO Lays Out Plan
By KRIS MAHER
March 8, 2007; Page A4

LAS VEGAS -- John Edwards appears to be organized labor's favorite presidential candidate right now, but as unions try to maximize clout and pick a winner, they could very well change their minds.

The AFL-CIO officially kicked off its endorsement process yesterday at its winter executive council meeting here, laying out a multi-step plan for vetting candidates in the coming months. A major goal is to strengthen labor's support behind a single candidate, to avoid having the federation's 54 affiliate unions endorse multiple candidates, as they have in the past, which has diluted organized labor's impact.

Unions remain a potent force inside the Democratic Party, but they have struggled with how to wield their power. In some elections, labor has united to use its clout to help a clear front-runner early in the campaign process, as it did for Al Gore in 2000. In other cases, labor has split its early support, leading to embarrassing setbacks. That happened in 2004 when the major unions divided between Richard Gephardt and Howard Dean in the primaries -- and neither one prevailed, exposing the unions as weak even inside the Democratic party.

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Meanwhile, the candidates are eagerly courting labor. Campaign managers or senior advisers of all of the Democratic candidates made pitches to presidents of the AFL-CIO's unions at a reception this week. Although unions have declined to publicly state a preference for any candidate at this early stage, union leaders invariably mention Mr. Edwards's name first, and they are quick to praise his open support of labor.

"I'm very impressed with John Edwards because he's a candidate that comfortably uses the word 'union,'" said Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. "Here's somebody who said the union movement is something this country should be proud of, that it is critical to rebuilding the middle class." Many in the labor movement view Mr. Edwards as one of their own. His father worked in a mill and his brother is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

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