Pro-Clinton Unions Continue Full-Steam Ahead

[Omaha Steve]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/05/pro-clinton-uni.html

May 12, 2008 4:18 PM

Officials from four labor unions that endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, say they will continue to lobby for her candidacy regardless of the daunting delegate math. One union is even hoping Clinton takes her battle against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, all the way to the floor of the Democratic National Convention in August.

Rick Sloan, communications director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers says the union is rallying its members to support Clinton in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oregon.

"We're not slackening off at all -- this is full speed ahead for us," he says. "We deal with really high tolerances building jets. Usually when we reach those tolerances we say, 'This is terrific, this is quite a piece of work.'"

Sloan was a member of the platform committee and an at-large delegate for Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., on the floor of the 1980 Democratic convention, the last time there was a convention fight.

"Only 979 delegates separated (then-President Jimmy) Carter and Kennedy," Sloan says. So the smaller number separating Clinton and Obama -- right this second a rough ABC Count has a 180-delegate lead for Obama -- "isn't a big swing. And none of these delegates are legally bound. She has 17 million votes, he has 17 million votes. The proper place to decide this is the convention."

ABC News contacted the four unions today to assess whether they would continue to spend union dues on a campaign many in the punditocracy have pointed towards a statue of St. Jude.

FULL story at link.