AFL-CIO will endorse Obama again
Union federation vote was unanimous
ORLANDO, Fla. – The AFL-CIO put aside its sometimes-tense relationship with the White House and endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election Tuesday, vowing to mobilize its grass-roots network on his behalf.
The federation’s executive council, made up of 57 leaders of its member unions, voted unanimously to back the president. Several of the AFL-CIO’s member unions had previously announced their support. Altogether, the unions represent 12 million members.
“With our endorsement today, we affirm our faith in him – and pledge to work with him through the election and his second term to restore fairness, security and shared equality,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
The endorsement wasn’t a surprise, but labor’s enthusiastic embrace is a striking contrast to its past unhappiness over issues including Obama’s agreement to extend tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush, his oft-voiced concerns about the budget deficit, and his handling of certain parts of the stimulus and health care packages.
“There are a number of us who, over time, expressed disappointment on a particular issue, a particular agenda item, a particular piece of legislation,” Harold Schaitberger, an executive council member and president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in an interview.
Last August, Trumka was blunt about his disappointment in Obama. “I think he doesn’t become a leader anymore; he’s being a follower.”
But since Labor Day, the president has struck a populist tone, dispelling much of the grumbling.
“He’s made a complete pivot,” Trumka said. Before, Obama “was mired in the debate on deficit reduction. He wasn’t talking about jobs.” But in recent months, “he’s been talking about jobs, jobs, jobs, and that’s what’s on people’s minds.”
That has helped push unions firmly back into the Democratic fold. So have Republican-sponsored anti-union bills in states like Ohio and Wisconsin and repeated digs at “Big Labor” by GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney.
Now union leaders say they want Obama to continue pushing an economic agenda that focuses primarily on jobs – throughout the campaign and into a hoped-for second term.