DC 37, Local 237 and DC 1707 Join AFL-CIO in Endorsing Obama

By MICHELLE FRIEDMAN

The AFL-CIO's June 26 endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for President followed closely on the heels of three prominent municipal unions giving their backing to the Illinois Senator, whose bandwagon figures to get increasingly crowded with labor supporters.

BARACK OBAMA: Union endorsements rolling in.

During the previous six days, District Council 37 and District Council 1707, both of which are affiliates of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, had joined their international union in endorsing Mr. Obama. Teamsters Local 237 President Gregory Floyd, whose international union joined Mr. Obama's camp several months ago, said he was also coming on board.

Neutral During Primaries

Many unions which generally support the Democratic nominee in presidential elections had refrained from making an endorsement during the fiercely contested battle between Senator Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the party's nod. The Illinois Senator's emergence led AFSCME, which previously was a staunch backer of Ms. Clinton, to shift its support to him, beginning with a hard-hitting ad against the presumptive Republican nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, that it co-sponsored with the activist group MoveOn.org.

RAGLAN GEORGE: Obama best for workers.

DC 1707, which represents 25,000 nonprofit social and human services employees, including city day-care workers, followed AFSCME's lead June 22, declaring that Senator Obama would represent real change for average New Yorkers.

Three days later, DC 37 delegates also voted to back him, with Executive Director Lillian Roberts calling Mr. Obama "a proven fighter whose stand on economic, political and social issues shows a commitment to reverse the Bush Administration's failed economic and foreign policies, and protecting the rights of our country's men and women."

'1707': He'll Turn Things Around

District Council 1707 Executive Director Raglan George said that Mr. Obama would be able to provide increased social programs, and repair some of the damage that occurred during the Bush Administration. "Barack Obama offers promise that the United States can turn itself around and take leadership positions on the economy, jobs, the environment and a host of other issues that the Bush Administration could not or did not want to do to help working Americans," Mr. George said.

McCain 'Worse Than Bush'

He contended that Senator McCain would if elected continue to enforce policies that were not in workers' interests. "[McCain] will follow the same mandates as Bush, and be worse in some areas," Mr. George declared.

"Working families need help with fundamental concerns, not sliding back to the unpopular positions of the Bush Administration, which only helped big businesses and the rich," he said. "An Obama Administration would bring new hope to the nation and to the rest of the world, which is weary of war and saber-rattling. Responsibly getting out of Iraq could release tens of billions of dollars for schools, the nation's infrastructure, and health care for all."

"We would have supported either of the Democratic candidates," Mr. George said. "We thought it was particularly significant that in this primary election a woman was running against a black man. It shows that we are ready for change."