Democrats Seek Big Labor Endorsement
As if the connection between Big Labor and the Democrats was not evident enough, as Steven Greenhouse reports, Democrats are jumping through hoops to obtain the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which represents 1.9 million workers:
Next week, six of the Democratic presidential candidates will be vying for what is widely considered the singlemost coveted union endorsement, that of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 1.9 million workers.
On Monday, those Democratic candidates will be speaking at the S.E.I.U.’s political action conference at the Washington Hilton, where 1,500 of the union’s leaders and activists will gather. On Wednesday, Sept. 19, the union’s board will decide whether to endorse anyone at that time. The S.E.I.U. is the nation’s second largest union, behind the National Education Association, which has 3.2 million members, but political experts agree that the S.E.I.U. is the more potent force.
Union officials say former Senator John Edwards has mounted a full-court press to persuade the S.E.I.U.’s top officials to endorse him, but Hillary Clinton’s camp and Barack Obama’s camp are maneuvering vigorously to try to deny Mr. Edwards the organization’s backing.
