Senator Obama, Labor Differ On Upcoming Peru Free Trade Vote

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/7062

While ten local SEIU state chapters have endorsed Presidential hopeful John Edwards this week, the 170,000-member Illinois Service Employees International Union threw their weight behind another Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama. However, not everyone is happy with Obama. Sarah Manski reports:

The AFL-CIO and other national labor unions are criticizing what they say is Obama’s backing of Wall Street's push to expand NAFTA into Peru. The Bush Administration and the National Association of Manufactures is welcoming the deal saying that the watered down labor language is unenforceable. Sue Vilbrandt, a labor unionist and Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign member, picketed outside a recent Obama event.

: “He’s planning on voting for the Peru Free Trade Agreement in Congress and we want him to reconsider his position. He thinks that there is support from labor because it’s been slightly improved, but there is no support from labor, community rights organizations, and Peruvian labor unions. And, if Obama wants to portray himself as the candidate of hope and change then he needs to vote no on this trade deal.”

Trade could be a key issue in the upcoming Iowa primary and Obama’s stance may hurt his chances there.

[GeminiProgressive]

1. great Democrats

continue pimping for Wall Street

[Benhurst]

2. Hope and Change.

Yeah. Sure.

[GeminiProgressive]

3. I am just not impressed with the front runners

but if I would have to pick i think i would say Edwards. I just don't think any of them are genuine. Edwards wasn't real liberal as a senator and he co-sponsored the war resolution. It's nice that he supposedly change dhis mind but again I say...if we all knew Bush's policies were a sham and they didn't...why isn't one of us running for president?

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. I couldn't stand the scrutiny -

between the arrest at 19, the drug bust in the military, and two divorces behind me.

But I knew.