PBS: Unions Look to Wield Clout in Frontloaded Democratic Primaries

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/politics/jan-june07/labor_05-11.html

Unions Look to Wield Clout in Frontloaded Democratic Primaries

With prominent union-friendly states such as Nevada and California moving up their primaries in the 2008 presidential race, organized labor hopes to only increase its traditional influence in the Democratic nomination process.

The delegate-rich state of California advanced its primary to Feb. 5. Its 2.2 million union members comprise 15.7 percent of the state's employed population, making it the largest union state in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.



In neighboring Nevada, caucuses are set for Jan. 19, just after the first caucuses in the nation are held in Iowa on Jan. 14. One of the largest unions in the nation, UNITE HERE, a service industry union, boasts more than 60,000 hotel, restaurant and casino workers in the state.

In late March, the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, cosponsored a forum on health care in Las Vegas that was attended by most Democratic candidates. SEIU is also California's largest union with about 650,000 members, and was one of the special interest groups that lobbied Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to approve universal state health care legislation.

Candidates are vying for the support of these voters as they deliberate on legislation important to these constituencies, such as the Employee Free Choice Act, which is pending in the Senate.

The bill would grant "card check" privileges, also called majority sign-up, making it easier for employees to organize. In other words, if a majority of workers sign forms authorizing the union to represent their interests, the National Labor Relations Board can certify the union as the employees' collective bargaining representative without an election.


FULL story at link.