Looking for the Union Label

By Kevin Robinson in News on Sep 27, 2007 3:12PM

The three Democratic front-runners came to Chicago this week to seek the endorsement of that other labor federation, Change to Win. Barack Obama and John Edwards made their case in person, but erstwhile local gal Hillary Clinton had to settle for phoning it in from Little Rock Arkansas where her plane was stranded.

"Back in the '90s when we had a Democratic Congress and we had a Democratic president, we didn't get universal healthcare," Edwards told the crowd, who interrupted him with seven—count 'em, seven—standing ovations. "No, instead we got NAFTA followed by CAFTA followed by a whole series of trade agreements that cost America millions of jobs."

While the Service Employees International Union delayed issuing an endorsement, Edwards has already been endorsed by several other large unions, including the Steelworkers and Mineworkers, as well as the Carpenters (part of Change to Win). In the meantime Hillary has gotten the endorsement of the United Transportation Workers (with a big-ass local in New York) and the Bricklayers, and Obama is still talking about walking the line at the Congress Hotel.

Image via The New No. 2