U.S. unions to work hard for Democrat-in-waiting

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN20393713

Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:19pm EST

(Adds Teamsters union endorses Obama, paragraph 14)

By Andrew Stern

CHICAGO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. elections in November offer labor unions their best opportunity in half a century to put a broad-based progressive government in power, labor leaders and analysts say. If only they could agree on who should lead it.

In a sense, it doesn't matter whether the ultimate Democratic presidential candidate is Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama because labor unions will rally behind the nominee to take on the likely Republican choice, Arizona Sen. John McCain, they say.

"The traditional thinking is obviously you'd like closure," Laborers' union president Terry O'Sullivan said of the close race between the two top Democrats.

"But regardless of where anybody stands on the (Democratic) candidates in this presidential race, it has the potential to create the biggest and broadest progressive base since at least the Sixties."

Sullivan, whose 500,000-member union represents mostly construction workers, is holding off endorsing either New York Sen. Clinton or Illinois Sen. Obama.

Both Democratic candidates have promised to address issues unions consider essential: curbing the exodus of U.S. manufacturing jobs overseas, expanding health care coverage and passing legislation that eases union-organizing efforts.


FULL story at link.