Unions Declare War on Centrist Democrats

It’s becoming harder for political candidates to enjoy support from labor unions. Gone are the days when simply holding the unions’ positions on issues affecting labor was all that was required to garner their support.

Despite the Bush administration’s concessions and efforts to reach out to the Teamsters’ Union, they have decided to forgo future support for Republican candidates, period. While this move is not completely surprising given the fact that 86 percent of the Teamsters’ PAC money went to Democrat candidates in 2002, it does signal a significant change in position.

In addition to this change, the unions are warning Democrats that those who support the administration’s policies regarding Iraq will suffer. Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and chairman of the AFL-CIO’s political committee expressed disapproval of the President’s actions and stated, “We didn’t think it was appropriate what some in the Democratic leadership did in terms on not just voting for the original resolution, but embracing Bush and his proposal in the Rose Garden after it was done.” McEntee further added, “With some of the real partisans and activists in the Democratic Party I think that will be difficult to go away.” Translation, the left wing “core” of the Democratic Party doesn’t like the actions of the Bush administration. But we already knew that. The question is why are these union leaders trying to convince everyone that their members are the left wing core?

Approximately 60 percent of union members who vote support Democrat candidates. If the unions accurately represented their views it would be logical to conclude that 60 percent of union support would be directed at Democrat candidates. However, rather than mirror the views of their members, the unions have increasingly moved to the left of those views.

Now that the union hierarchy has decided to support strictly Democrat candidates, they find it necessary to push every supported candidate to the left to in order to conform them to the hierarchy’s ideological views. No longer will wearing a “D” behind your name as candidate entitle you to union support. You must now also be a “D” who leans left.

This presents a clear case of leadership that is totally out of touch with their members. Rather than acknowledging that 40 percent of their membership supports conservatives the union commanders have chosen to drive their own left wing worldview with all the gusto they can muster.

While it is legally possible for union members to recover that part of their dues which is spent for political purposes, practical considerations serve as a serious impediments. Would the 40 percent financially support these policies if they were truly free to decide who to support? No. The problem remains because unions know that they can play end runs around those members who don’t want their dues used to support liberal worldviews. This practice will continue until Congress acts to give real choice and the power to implement that choice to union members.