+ Nyt 080131, Un sindacato che appoggiava Edwards sosterrà Obama;
+ Nyt 080201, Calif. Service Union[e] sostiene Obama
– La Transport Worker Union[e] (140 000 iscritti attivi, rappresenta i lavoratori dei trasporti di NY, quelli dell’aria di Southwest Airlines e di terra di American Airlines + 60 000 pensionati) è il primo sindacato che passa dal sostegno per Edwards a quello per Obama.
– Appoggiano Obama, Service Employees International Union[e] (SEIU) e Unite Here (alberghiero e ristorazione, abbigliamento) particolarmente forti tra gli immigrati della California.
– SEIU è il maggior sindacato della California con 650mila iscritti, forte tra i latinos; SEIU aveva convinto la federazione nazionale (1,9 mn. di iscritti) ad appoggiare Edwards, lasciando poi libera scelta dopo il suo abbandono.
Appoggio per Obama presidente del sindacato siderurgici (United Steel Workers), forte soprattutto in Pennsylvania e Ohio:
o «è il candidato che meglio può far uscire la nostra nazione dal nero periodo di declino economico causato dal sostegno dato da Bush agli interessi di Wall Street a spwese del tenore di vita dei lavoratori».
o per le ampie riforme da lui chieste per l’assistenza sanitaria, l’appoggio alla legge Employee Free Choice, e la ripetuta dichiarazione di centralità degli interessi delle famiglie dei lavoratori per la politica sindacale.
o Il disegno di legge Employee Free Choice Act mira a facilitare l’organizzazione sindacale, riconoscendo ai lavoratori il diritto di creare un sindacato sul luogo di lavoro se lo decide la maggioranza, invece che con una lunga e contenziosa elezione; vi si è opposto a questa legge.
o Hillary Clinton ha avuto l’appoggio di diversi grandi sindacati: American Federation of Teachers (insegnanti) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (PI);
o Obama quello del Service Employees International Union[e] (servizi) e della International Brotherhood of Teamsters (camionisti).
By Steven Greenhouse
In a move that will help shore up Senator Barack Obama’s support among working-class voters, the United Steelworkers gave him its endorsement on Thursday.
– The union, which is especially strong in Pennsylvania and Ohio, gave Mr. Obama its backing the day after the candidate the steelworkers had originally endorsed, John Edwards, endorsed the Illinois Senator.
“Senator Obama’s call for a significant change of direction amounts to far more than a compelling rallying cry,” the union, based in Pittsburgh, said in a statement. “It is buttressed by his record of consistent support for workers, by his call for sweeping changes to our health care system, by his unflinching support for Employee Free Choice, and by his insistence that America’s trade policies must, first and foremost, serve the interests of America’s working families.”
– For the United Steelworkers and for much of organized labor, the No. 1 legislative goal is the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to unionize – by giving employees at a worksite the right to unionize through majority sign-up rather than through an often contentious and protracted unionization election. The Bush administration has opposed the bill, while Senator Clinton and Mr. Edwards have endorsed it.
Like many unions, the steelworkers had remained neutral for months between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, after Mr. Edwards dropped out of the race in January. But many unions that have remained neutral since January are moving toward Mr. Obama as he increasingly seems to have clinched the Democratic nomination.
– In their statement, the steelworkers said, “He is clearly the candidate who can best lead our nation out of the dark period of economic decline created by the Bush administration’s allegiance to Wall Street profiteering at the expense of worker prosperity.”
Several powerful unions, most notably the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, have backed Mrs. Clinton while several other unions, including the Service Employees International Union[e] and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, have endorsed Mr. Obama.
By Steven Greenhouse
– The Transport Workers Union, which represents 140,000 active workers, is expected to announce Friday that it will become the first union[e] that had backed John Edwards to switch its endorsement to Barack Obama, one union[e] adviser said Thursday night.
– The union, which endorsed Mr. Edwards, last September represents transit workers in New York City, flight attendants at Southwest Airlines and ground crew for American Airlines.
– The Transport Workers Union[e] is especially strong in New York State because the union’s New York City branch, Local 100, with more than 30,000 members, is one of the city’s largest and most vocal unions. The union, which is based in Manhattan also claims 60,000 retirees nationwide as members.
– Labor leaders say many of the unions that had endorsed Mr. Edwards, including the United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers, are waiting for the race to clarify before they decide on another endorsement. Union[e] leaders say that it is awkward to endorse one candidate who falls by the wayside, and even more embarrassing to endorse a second candidate, and that have that candidate also fail to get the nomination.
Richard Trumka, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s secretary-treasurer, said on Thursday that he did not see the labor federation–a grouping of 55 unions representing 10 million workers– making an endorsement in the near future.
He said that at the moment neither Hillary Rodham Clinton nor Barack Obama is in a position to muster the necessary two-thirds support to secure an endorsement.
– “We think they’re both very good candidates,” he said. “They’d both be a vast improvement over the person now in the White House.”
Union[e] leaders say that if Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama develop a commanding lead in the delegate count, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. might seek to move soon afterward to endorse the front-runner.
– The largest labor union[e] in California, the Service Employees International Union, with 650,000 members in the state, decided Friday to endorse Barack Obama.
That endorsement, by the California state chapter of the nation’s most political potent union, will help build momentum for Mr. Obama. In addition, because of the union’s large Latino membership, the endorsement could prove important in persuading more Hispanics to vote for Mr. Obama in the California primary next Tuesday.
– The S.E.I.U. in California had enthusiastically endorsed John Edwards, and had led the push in the 1.9-million member national union[e] to back him. When the union’s national board was unable to muster majority support for Mr. Edwards or any other candidate, the union[e] gave its state chapters the go-ahead to endorse the candidate of their choice.
– With the S.E.I.U. endorsement, two unions that are specially powerful among immigrants in California — the other is Unite Here, which represents hotel, restaurant and apparel workers — have backed Mr. Obama.
“The major immigrant unions are now out there for Obama,” said Mike Garcia, president of S.E.I.U. Local 1877, which represents 35,000 janitors, security guards and other building service workers in California — about 70 percent of them Hispanic. “I think his policies are more in tune with ours for working people, on the disparity of wealth, on changing the nation’s direction.”
– Among politicians, the Service Employees International Union[e] is widely seen as highly effective in politics because of so many of its members participate in union[e] activities and donate to the union’s political action fund. Hillary Clinton has been endorsed by two other large, politically savvy unions with more than 1 million members the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the American Federation of Teachers.
Sal Rosselli, president of the S.E.I.U.’s giant health-care local in California, which represents 150,000 hospital workers, home-health aides and other workers, said his union[e] would immediately start phone banking on Mr. Obama’s behalf and would focus its efforts in particular districts.
“I don’t think it’s too late to make a difference,” he said. “We’ll get a lot of press. Our members listen to use. We’re going to explain why we feel they should vote for Obama.”
– One S.E.I.U. leader said there was some debate among union[e] officials in California on the endorsement. Some S.E.I.U. leaders were eager to throw their union’s considerable weight behind Mr. Obama to help build momentum for his nomination. Others argued that there was little to gain by endorsing him just four days before the Feb. 5 primaries in California and 21 other states, saying that doing an endorsement now would give the union[e] little time to persuade its members to back Mr. Obama.
Mr. Garcia, head of the janitor’s local, said the union’s leaders were swayed in part by the Thursday debate in which he said Mr. Obama appeared friendlier to immigrants. He cited Mr. Obama’s support of providing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.
“He was good on not scapegoating immigrant and I think Hillary did not do strongly on her position on immigration reform last night.”
– The Transport Workers Union, which represents 140,000 active workers, announced on Friday that it had become the first national union[e] that had backed Mr. Edwards to switch its endorsement to Mr. Obama. The union[e] represents transit workers in New York City, flight attendants at Southwest Airlines and ground crew for American Airlines.
The union[e] is strongest in New York State because its New York City branch, Local 100, which represents more than 32,000 subway and bus workers, is one of the citys largest and most vocal unions. The union, based in Manhattan, also claims 60,000 retirees nationwide as members.
Labor leaders say many unions that had endorsed Mr. Edwards, including the United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers, were waiting for the race to clarify before they decide on another endorsement. Union[e] leaders say that it is awkward to endorse one candidate who falls by the wayside, and even more embarrassing to endorse a second candidate, and that have that candidate also fail to get the nomination.
Richard Trumka, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.s secretary-treasurer, said on Thursday that he did not see the labor federation a grouping of 55 unions representing 10 million workers making an endorsement in the near future.
He said that at the moment neither Mrs. Clinton nor Mr. Obama was in a position to muster the necessary two-thirds support within the A.F.L.-C.I.O. to secure an endorsement.
“We think they’re both very good candidates,” Mr. Trumka said. “They’d both be a vast improvement over the person now in the White House.”
Union[e] leaders say that if Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama develop a commanding lead in the delegate count, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. might seek to move soon afterward to endorse the front-runner.