SEIU Passes on Edwards, the Field

The following piece was produced by the Huffington Post's OffTheBus project.

After being heavily courted by the top Democratic presidential candidates, none of the party's contenders will receive an endorsement from the Service Employees International Union after officials decided not to back anyone Monday. This had dealt a blow to the competitive Democratic field hoping to win the labor union's support - especially John Edwards.

On Monday, officials with the union that represents nearly 1.9 million workers said it won't choose a national candidate for the primary elections. Though John Edwards had lobbied hard for the SEIU's endorsement, the leads of both Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama forced the union's decision into stalemate and prevented the SEIU's executive board from endorsing Edwards in such a close contest.

"Any one of these candidates would help create a new American dream for workers and their families," SEIU Secretary Treasurer Anna Burger said.

Opposed to making a national endorsement, the union has encouraged local organizations to make their own decisions on a state by state basis.

At a meeting in Chicago, the board moved to allow locals to endorse their own candidates, a move atypical of past campaigns. With union leaders in California favoring Edwards and those in Illinois leaning toward Obama such motions will - presumably - result in each state's labor groups endorsing Edwards and Obama respectively, without the bureaucratic hurdles.

"Given the importance of this election, we are encouraging members and leaders to act on their passion for the candidates and get involved on a statewide basis," SEIU President Andy Stern said.

With the organization having donated more than $25 million since 1989 - usually to Democratic candidates - the SEIU endorsement has been one of the most important from a labor organization available in recent campaigns. Now union officials have shed this responsibility to the local level.

Union spokesman Steven Trossman said: "We have three really good leading candidates who are very good on the issues that working people care about, and people were really eager to get involved. So this gives them an opportunity to get involved."

With many board members having pushed to support Edwards, the former North Carolina senator had hoped a national SEIU endorsement would strengthen his campaign in the crucial primary states. Others argued in opposition to an Edwards endorsement, as a result of Clinton's lead over him in polls.

Members from Edwards' campaign said the union support remains strong for him with many locals leaning toward Edwards with or without the national endorsement of the SEUI.

"Despite aggressive efforts by the other campaigns to stop any endorsement by SEIU, we are very pleased by the fact that we will gain endorsements of SEIU locals from across America," said Eric Schultz, spokesman for the former senator. "It is a victory for the campaign, as we now can mobilize the support from S.E.I.U. members who enthusiastically support John Edwards."

In an S.E.I.U. press release, the organization offered a statement that claims when the Democratic Party does select its candidate; the union will "launch the largest and most comprehensive campaign in our history to help elect a president who truly cares about working families."

Albeit after the decision is made for them.

With Clinton and Obama rigorously working labor unions for their own support, the competition among the three will escalate as each look to step-up their efforts in crucial primary states while vying for the support of union members that appears to be currently up for grabs.

At an SEIU forum in Washington, the 1.8-million member union rallied around the Democratic trio of Clinton, Obama and Edwards who were (and still are) the Democratic field's clear favorites. Weeks later, as a result of the deep divisions within the party, union officials put their endorsement off after hearing from the candidates at the Change to Win labor coalition conference in Chicago last September.

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners endorsed Edwards earlier this year and is the only organization of the seven Change to Win unions who has officially endorsed a candidate.

Speaking to the coalition at the Hilton Chicago, Edwards asked a crowd of union members, "Are we really going to trade, brothers and sisters, a crowd of corporate Republicans for a crowd of corporate Democrats?" to which the audience shouted "No!"

Now, it appears that after only a few short weeks, union officials have given Edwards that same answer again.

Read more OffTheBus coverage and get involved by clicking here.

Comments

[linkunlovr]

Dennis Kucinich is by far the best candidate for labor and America but the union is playing the game the establishment media have set up. We have to choose between the "three" annointed candidates.If you focus on who raises the most money or who's ahead in the polls you have to
listen to the corporate media who create both
red herrings. If all the media attention goes to the top 3 they get all the money and lead in the polls. If we are told about issues then all 3 would be seen to be the empty suits they are.
But the powers that be don't want real change
so the give the people this false choice and the people are once again screwed.