SEIU Union Leader Stern Says Edwards Has Edge for 2008 Endorsement

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By Kim Chipman and Heidi Przybyla

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- John Edwards has more support from Service Employees International Union members than any other presidential candidate, though not enough yet for an endorsement, said Andy Stern, president of one of the largest U.S. labor groups.

About 2,000 of the union's leaders will meet Sept. 17 in Washington to listen to pitches from the major Democratic candidates and take a straw poll that will help guide the group's endorsement, Stern, 56, said in an interview.

``Edwards has done an awful lot with leaders and members in our union,'' said Stern, who expects a decision on whether and who to endorse by the end of October. He said Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York have strong support within the union, too, and together may be able to fend off any endorsement of Edwards, a former North Carolina senator.

Stern's group is one of the most sought-after endorsements for Democratic presidential candidates. The union represents 1.9 million health-care workers, janitors, security guards and other service employees; it's the fastest-growing labor group in the country and the largest in New Hampshire, which plans to hold the nation's first primary.

Separately, Stern endorsed a plan outlined last week by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel for a major overhaul of the tax code that would repeal the alternative minimum tax and reduce payments for as many as 90 million U.S. households, while putting more of the burden on the richest, including executives of private-equity firms.

Private Equity

He ridiculed a recent effort by the Private Equity Council, a Washington trade group representing the largest buyout firms, to block any tax increase by enlisting businesses owned by women and minorities, including Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson and former National Basketball Association star and Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson, now chairman of Magic Johnson Enterprises in Los Angeles.

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