He Can Rekindle Union Growth
Members Hear Obama's Call

By MARK ROSENTHAL

As we went into this presidential race, organized labor mainly supported John Edwards and Hillary Clinton. My own District Council 37 supported Hillary early on. But now the tide is changing - because our members want it to change.

Mr. Rosenthal is president of Motor Vehicle Operators Local 983 of District Council 37.

Unions have been looking for a boost for years, and our membership has been falling steadily as manufacturing jobs evaporated during the '80s and '90s and more and more service work was outsourced. NAFTA only added to the damage, encouraging employers to move their plants over the border into Mexico.

Bush's War on Unions

Then George W. Bush declared war on organized labor, making it clear that both safety laws and anti-discrimination laws would not be enforced on his watch, and that owners could fire union organizers without any fear of the law. Union membership has crept steadily downward, to a point where most Americans under 40 see labor as either a racket or as an irrelevancy.

Hillary Clinton came to New York to become a Senator and then try for the biggest prize - the presidency. On the way, she secured the support of the Democratic establishment in New York State, and the support of the major unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees.

She stands ready to create more union jobs and perhaps even some important positions for labor leaders. But she does not promise to reverse the continuing decline in union membership.

I am convinced that Barack Obama has the potential to do that, because his candidacy signals a movement, not just a campaign. His playbook comes from the idealism that is basic to our country. He is reaching out not only to those who remember the Kennedys, but also to new voters who wonder why it is so hard to give peace a chance and put America to work.

Obama Opens Debate

As a result of his surge, American workers are getting a chance to hear a legitimate discussion on the issues that matter: health care, worker benefits and wages, immigration, and where our nation chooses to spend its capital.

As a longtime union activist, I have tried to make changes in District Council 37 from the bottom up and found that the leadership will not hear the voices of its members. The huge enthusiasm in DC 37 for Obama - even though the leadership supported Hillary - cannot be denied. This is because - speaking as president of Local 983 - the members believe that he can rekindle the union movement in this country. His movement for change is a movement to empower unions, and his platform reflects that.

Can Revitalize Labor

I believe that, if elected, Barack Obama will make union membership central to our strength as a nation.

If younger Americans understand how our country became great through union labor because of Obama's inspiring message, they will again join unions and fight for their rights as union members. That will lead to labor once again having real power in our country, so that Americans once again receive a fair share of the wealth we produce.