(Reuters) Union (AFSCME & 1.4 million-members) might not endorse before 2008 primaries

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1420465420070614

Union might not endorse before 2008 primaries
Thu Jun 14, 2007 5:24PM EDT

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Given a strong and crowded 2008 Democratic presidential field, a prominent labor leader said on Thursday his union will have a tough time reaching a consensus to make an endorsement before the primaries.

Gerald McEntee, president of the public employees union AFSCME and chairman of the AFL-CIO's political committee, said there was only a 35 percent chance his 1.4 million-member union will agree on a Democrat to back in the 2008 White House race.

"It's going to be hard for us," McEntee said in an interview. "We've got pockets of our union who are significantly behind different candidates. It will be difficult to get a really deep consensus."

He predicted the AFL-CIO, an umbrella federation representing 55 national labor unions, also will have a hard time reaching the two-thirds consensus needed to throw its grass roots and financial muscle behind an individual candidate.

"That's a hard number to get to, particularly this year," McEntee said.

McEntee's American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees does not require a two-thirds consensus, but he said he wants a similarly broad agreement among its leaders before picking a favorite.

FULL 2 page story at link.