AFL-CIO Backs Off Support for Obama, Democrats; Forms New Super PAC
Written by Bob Adelmann
Monday, 29 August 2011 10:15
Speaking to reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (left) made it clear that his union is backing off from supporting President Obama and the Democrats in the 2012 elections and is instead going to funnel union funds into attempts to influence state outcomes.
He said,
We’re going to use a lot of our money to build structures that work for working people. You’re going to see us give less money to build structures for others, and more of our money will be used to build our own structure….
Let’s assume we spent $100 in the last election. The day after Election Day, we were no stronger than we were the day before. If we had spent that [$100] on creating a structure for working people that would be there year round, then we would be stronger.
In fact, so unhappy is Trumka with Obama that some of his affiliates won’t even be attending the Democratic Party’s 2012 national convention. His unhappiness stems from the perceived lack of support from the Obama administration over the card-check bill, which would have made union recruiting easier in current non-union shops, as well as the administration’s support for free-trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama. Such agreements, if implemented, could conceivably have a negative impact on union employment in the country, which has been in steady decline for years.
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