- Nov 4, 2003
- 7,550
- 3,767
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE SOMETHING GOOD FOR LABOR TO YOU? 
They will "put the troops on the ground" for polticians, but when it comes to your pay and benefits, they capitulate "without further ratification".
Maybe we should "stay of the election process" and lobby whoever wins the election for our issues and our futures.
Union vs. Union on Iowa Campaign Battleground
Sat Dec 13, 2:34 PM ET
DES MOINES, Dec. 12 — It was 9 degrees and the shivering, stomping union members were pressing political fliers into the gloved hands of scores of steelworkers outside the Firestone plant here. "Support Dick Gephardt (news - web sites)!" shouted John Campbell, 47, this week as he mingled with the men starting their shift.
But across the state, in the snowy town of Glenwood, workers from a government employees union were promoting a different presidential candidate and a different message. "Howard Dean (news - web sites) is for working families," said Jenny Mitchell, 39, as she distributed leaflets to her colleagues during lunch.
In ordinary times, these two groups would be allies, but these days they stand on opposite sides of the political divide. Ms. Mitchell's union is battling to send Howard Dean to the White House; Mr. Campbell's union is trying to stop him from snaring an electoral victory here that might start his steady march toward the Democratic presidential nomination.
A coalition of unions, including steelworkers, machinists and others, has already broadcast two television advertisements and started mobilizing its 95,000 members to try to slow Dr. Dean's momentum. And with unions on both sides vowing to flood the state with volunteers, Iowa has become the epicenter of one of the fiercest labor battles in more than a decade.
Twenty-one unions are backing Representative Richard A. Gephardt (news - web sites) of Missouri while three others — including two of the nation's largest unions — are supporting Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont. The two men are locked in a struggle for primacy in next month's Iowa caucus, and the stakes are high because many labor officials believe that the caucus, the first of the Democratic nominating contests, may determine who will ultimately face President Bush (news - web sites) in next year's general election.
The battle pits union against union and member against member; labor officials across the political spectrum are bracing for a bruising fight. The decision by Al Gore (news - web sites), the 2000 Democratic presidential candidate, to endorse Dr. Dean this week has only lent a sense of urgency to the struggle, leaving Mr. Gephardt's backers increasingly convinced that it will be nearly impossible to slow Dr. Dean's momentum unless Mr. Gephardt can stop him here.
"It's trench warfare now," said Larry Scanlon, political director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who moved here last week from Washington to help coordinate his union's efforts on behalf of Dr. Dean. "It's hand-to-hand combat."
In recent weeks, supporters of Mr. Gephardt, a longtime ally of organized labor, have bombarded their active and retired members with phone calls and a direct mailing blitz of about 60,000 campaign brochures. They have been holding meetings and sending out weekly faxes. About 25 of their members are now working here full time.
Dr. Dean's union supporters, who endorsed him just last month, are moving aggressively to counter those efforts. They argue that Dr. Dean has more money, more energy and a better chance of winning, even though he has not always supported labor's causes. This week, the government employees union, which represents 30,000 workers here, sent out the first of its own direct mailings and has promised to send workers door to door in coming days.
The federation boasts of having more cash and technology, despite its later start. The union has promised to spend more than $1 million in the state and has already moved 90 full-time staff members here this month. It is also arming its workers with hand-held computers so they can quickly update the master database of supporters as they knock on doors and make calls.
Mr. Gephardt's union supporters acknowledge that they may be outspent by their rivals, but they argue that the sheer size of their combined memberships will ultimately give them the advantage on Jan. 19, when the caucuses are held.
Their goal is to inform members that Dr. Dean — who now backs union positions on most issues — once supported slowing the growth of Medicare and advocated for trade deals with China and Mexico that have been blamed for job losses.
"Forget the money," said Brett Voorhies, the deputy political director of the United Steelworkers of America, who has been coordinating efforts here among Mr. Gephardt's union supporters since Labor Day. "We've got the troops on the ground."
The intensifying ground battle has also touched off a war of words between the leaders of the competing unions. This month, Gerald W. McEntee of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Andrew L. Stern of the Service Employees International Union, the other big union backing Dr. Dean, accused one of Mr. Gephardt's aides of threatening union members in Missouri who wanted to campaign for Dr. Dean.
A few days later, James P. Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters, criticized Mr. McEntee and Mr. Stern, saying they were needlessly dividing "the family of labor" by supporting Dr. Dean. Mr. Hoffa, who supports Mr. Gephardt, noted that Dr. Dean had once supported the privatization of government jobs.
Fractured and divided as it might be, labor is expected to play a crucial role. Only 61,000 Democrats participated in the last presidential caucuses here in 2000, about 12 percent of registered voters. With turnout typically low, groups that can mobilize the most voters will clearly have a strong influence on the results.
In November, a poll by The Des Moines Register indicated that Mr. Gephardt had an edge in union households, but his standing among likely caucus participants has slipped in more recent surveys. The two candidates appear to be running neck and neck.
Anxious about job losses and the country's trade policies, industrial unions have generally sided with Mr. Gephardt, who has vehemently opposed trade deals with Mexico and China. The public sector unions, which view themselves as newer and more grass-roots, feel a greater affinity for Dr. Dean and his outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq (news - web sites).
The battle has not only divided the nation's union leadership. It has also divided friends, colleagues and families. Accustomed to fighting political fights together, many union members now find themselves on opposite sides of the political fence.
Ms. Mitchell, a member of the government employees union for 15 years, has worked regularly with other union members on local political races. She cares for mentally disabled patients at a local hospital and admires Dr. Dean's stances on health care and workers' rights.
But as she sat in her office on a snowy day this week, surrounded by Dean pins, T-shirts and fliers, she said she was saddened that she and her peers in other unions were now fighting for different teams.
"I can understand their hurt feelings because Gephardt has been a true friend," Ms. Mitchell said of the response to her union's decision. "Even me, I feel like I'm somewhat betraying him. But I think Howard Dean is going to be really good for us. I think he can win and I think he will work hard for working families."
Mr. Campbell supports Mr. Gephardt wholeheartedly, but he too misses the friends he used to campaign with at the government employees union.
"It's not personal, but it's still awkward," said Mr. Campbell, a member of the steelworkers union who works at the Firestone plant. "You miss the friends you always counted on. You just get through it, I guess."
Ms. Mitchell plans to knock on doors for Dr. Dean this weekend while Mr. Campbell will continue calling on people to vote for Mr. Gephardt. Both say their unions will reunite to support the Democrat chosen to challenge President Bush.
But some labor experts warn that the reconciliation process may take time.
"There will be some wounds from this," said Steve Rosenthal, the longtime political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., who stepped down last year and is now raising money to mobilize Democratic voters in the presidential election.
"It's not like the day after there's a presumptive nominee everyone's going to kiss and make up," Mr. Rosenthal said. "There's going to need to be some time for healing."
They will "put the troops on the ground" for polticians, but when it comes to your pay and benefits, they capitulate "without further ratification".
Maybe we should "stay of the election process" and lobby whoever wins the election for our issues and our futures.
Union vs. Union on Iowa Campaign Battleground
Sat Dec 13, 2:34 PM ET
DES MOINES, Dec. 12 — It was 9 degrees and the shivering, stomping union members were pressing political fliers into the gloved hands of scores of steelworkers outside the Firestone plant here. "Support Dick Gephardt (news - web sites)!" shouted John Campbell, 47, this week as he mingled with the men starting their shift.
But across the state, in the snowy town of Glenwood, workers from a government employees union were promoting a different presidential candidate and a different message. "Howard Dean (news - web sites) is for working families," said Jenny Mitchell, 39, as she distributed leaflets to her colleagues during lunch.
In ordinary times, these two groups would be allies, but these days they stand on opposite sides of the political divide. Ms. Mitchell's union is battling to send Howard Dean to the White House; Mr. Campbell's union is trying to stop him from snaring an electoral victory here that might start his steady march toward the Democratic presidential nomination.
A coalition of unions, including steelworkers, machinists and others, has already broadcast two television advertisements and started mobilizing its 95,000 members to try to slow Dr. Dean's momentum. And with unions on both sides vowing to flood the state with volunteers, Iowa has become the epicenter of one of the fiercest labor battles in more than a decade.
Twenty-one unions are backing Representative Richard A. Gephardt (news - web sites) of Missouri while three others — including two of the nation's largest unions — are supporting Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont. The two men are locked in a struggle for primacy in next month's Iowa caucus, and the stakes are high because many labor officials believe that the caucus, the first of the Democratic nominating contests, may determine who will ultimately face President Bush (news - web sites) in next year's general election.
The battle pits union against union and member against member; labor officials across the political spectrum are bracing for a bruising fight. The decision by Al Gore (news - web sites), the 2000 Democratic presidential candidate, to endorse Dr. Dean this week has only lent a sense of urgency to the struggle, leaving Mr. Gephardt's backers increasingly convinced that it will be nearly impossible to slow Dr. Dean's momentum unless Mr. Gephardt can stop him here.
"It's trench warfare now," said Larry Scanlon, political director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who moved here last week from Washington to help coordinate his union's efforts on behalf of Dr. Dean. "It's hand-to-hand combat."
In recent weeks, supporters of Mr. Gephardt, a longtime ally of organized labor, have bombarded their active and retired members with phone calls and a direct mailing blitz of about 60,000 campaign brochures. They have been holding meetings and sending out weekly faxes. About 25 of their members are now working here full time.
Dr. Dean's union supporters, who endorsed him just last month, are moving aggressively to counter those efforts. They argue that Dr. Dean has more money, more energy and a better chance of winning, even though he has not always supported labor's causes. This week, the government employees union, which represents 30,000 workers here, sent out the first of its own direct mailings and has promised to send workers door to door in coming days.
The federation boasts of having more cash and technology, despite its later start. The union has promised to spend more than $1 million in the state and has already moved 90 full-time staff members here this month. It is also arming its workers with hand-held computers so they can quickly update the master database of supporters as they knock on doors and make calls.
Mr. Gephardt's union supporters acknowledge that they may be outspent by their rivals, but they argue that the sheer size of their combined memberships will ultimately give them the advantage on Jan. 19, when the caucuses are held.
Their goal is to inform members that Dr. Dean — who now backs union positions on most issues — once supported slowing the growth of Medicare and advocated for trade deals with China and Mexico that have been blamed for job losses.
"Forget the money," said Brett Voorhies, the deputy political director of the United Steelworkers of America, who has been coordinating efforts here among Mr. Gephardt's union supporters since Labor Day. "We've got the troops on the ground."
The intensifying ground battle has also touched off a war of words between the leaders of the competing unions. This month, Gerald W. McEntee of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Andrew L. Stern of the Service Employees International Union, the other big union backing Dr. Dean, accused one of Mr. Gephardt's aides of threatening union members in Missouri who wanted to campaign for Dr. Dean.
A few days later, James P. Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters, criticized Mr. McEntee and Mr. Stern, saying they were needlessly dividing "the family of labor" by supporting Dr. Dean. Mr. Hoffa, who supports Mr. Gephardt, noted that Dr. Dean had once supported the privatization of government jobs.
Fractured and divided as it might be, labor is expected to play a crucial role. Only 61,000 Democrats participated in the last presidential caucuses here in 2000, about 12 percent of registered voters. With turnout typically low, groups that can mobilize the most voters will clearly have a strong influence on the results.
In November, a poll by The Des Moines Register indicated that Mr. Gephardt had an edge in union households, but his standing among likely caucus participants has slipped in more recent surveys. The two candidates appear to be running neck and neck.
Anxious about job losses and the country's trade policies, industrial unions have generally sided with Mr. Gephardt, who has vehemently opposed trade deals with Mexico and China. The public sector unions, which view themselves as newer and more grass-roots, feel a greater affinity for Dr. Dean and his outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq (news - web sites).
The battle has not only divided the nation's union leadership. It has also divided friends, colleagues and families. Accustomed to fighting political fights together, many union members now find themselves on opposite sides of the political fence.
Ms. Mitchell, a member of the government employees union for 15 years, has worked regularly with other union members on local political races. She cares for mentally disabled patients at a local hospital and admires Dr. Dean's stances on health care and workers' rights.
But as she sat in her office on a snowy day this week, surrounded by Dean pins, T-shirts and fliers, she said she was saddened that she and her peers in other unions were now fighting for different teams.
"I can understand their hurt feelings because Gephardt has been a true friend," Ms. Mitchell said of the response to her union's decision. "Even me, I feel like I'm somewhat betraying him. But I think Howard Dean is going to be really good for us. I think he can win and I think he will work hard for working families."
Mr. Campbell supports Mr. Gephardt wholeheartedly, but he too misses the friends he used to campaign with at the government employees union.
"It's not personal, but it's still awkward," said Mr. Campbell, a member of the steelworkers union who works at the Firestone plant. "You miss the friends you always counted on. You just get through it, I guess."
Ms. Mitchell plans to knock on doors for Dr. Dean this weekend while Mr. Campbell will continue calling on people to vote for Mr. Gephardt. Both say their unions will reunite to support the Democrat chosen to challenge President Bush.
But some labor experts warn that the reconciliation process may take time.
"There will be some wounds from this," said Steve Rosenthal, the longtime political director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., who stepped down last year and is now raising money to mobilize Democratic voters in the presidential election.
"It's not like the day after there's a presumptive nominee everyone's going to kiss and make up," Mr. Rosenthal said. "There's going to need to be some time for healing."
