Edwards Wins Two Union Endorsements

Steelworkers, Mine Workers Back Former Senator For President

(AP)  Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards received the endorsement of two unions, the United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers of America, on Labor Day.

Edwards appeared in Pittsburgh, home of the Steelworkers' international headquarters, for a Monday morning rally.

"America was not built on Wall Street. America was built by steelworkers and mine workers," Edwards said as he accepted their support.

The former senator from North Carolina, who has worked hard to get labor endorsements, has also secured the backing of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

The steelworker and mine worker endorsements mean that Edwards now has more labor endorsements than any of the other Democratic presidential candidates.

"The members of the Steelworkers Union and the Mine Workers union are some of the country's hardest-working, bravest, most courageous workers," Edwards said. "It is their tireless hard work which has helped build a stronger America that benefits all of us. I honor what they do every day."

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been endorsed by the United Transportation Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Edwards suggested Clinton's campaign represents politics-as-usual in Washington and that Edwards represents a break from the past.

"We just have a disagreement," Edwards said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "Sen. Clinton defends Washington lobbyists and the system that exists in Washington and thinks she can work within that system. If that were true we would already have universal health care. If that were true America would already be attacking global warming in a serious way."

The United Steelworkers is the largest industrial union in North America, with 850,000 members and retirees in the metals, mining, rubber, paper, oil refining, chemicals and service industries.

The mine workers union has been in the news recently, advocating for increased safety for coal miners. The union, which includes coal miners, clean coal technicians, health care workers, truck drivers and school board employees, claimed more than 86,000 members on its 2006 Labor Department disclosure forms.

The Steelworkers endorsed former Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt in the 2004 primaries until he dropped out, and then threw their support behind the failed presidential candidacy of Democratic Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

The Steelworkers gave $2.4 million, all to Democrats, in the 2006 House and Senate races in which the GOP lost control of Congress. In the last presidential cycle, the Steelworkers gave almost $1.2 million to federal candidates, with 99 percent of the 2004 money going to Democrats.

In 2004, the mine workers union gave $510,100 to federal candidates, with 93 percent of it going to Democrats. The United Mine Workers gave $496,050 in the 2006 elections, with 97 percent of it going to Democrats.

By Associated Press Labor Writer Jesse J. Holland; the AP's Ramesh Santanam in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

[cfin5]

It''s too late for the Union''s to recoup what the Lib''s have done to them by killing off (abortion) 47 million "AMERICAN UNION-MADE PRODUCT PURCHASING CUSTOMERS" since 1973!!!......Way to go geniuses!

[chicagopoet]

You better wise up. It''s going to come down to Clinton, Obama or Edwards, and if you don''t start supporting Edwards, no matter how flawed he may be, you''ll end up with another Clinton in office or you''ll have something even more dangerous, Obama and his wishy washy all over the board politics. Yes, I know, we all wish it could be Ron Paul or Kucinich or any number of others, but at some point we have to put the pipe dream behind and get on board with something hopeful so that we don''t end up handing the White House to another neo-con like has been done in the past. John Edwards is a stellular candidate. Take a closer look.

[realpatriot1]

USAYesterday,

I''m not a union memeber now but belonged to several when I was younger(UAW,AFL-CIO,SEIU,IAM,etc.).

I had to pay union dues to work in the jobs that I had but I knew that going in and was fine with it. The jobs paid more precisely because they were union. No one ever strong-armed me about anuything.

All unions and all locals don''t operate the same and unions have incidents of abuse like any other social institution from the church to the police to corporations.

I was cheated and lied to by the Intl. Assn. of Machinists. They went on strike the day before I was to be union-eligible. They told me if I helped to man the picket line that I would be paid for it from the union funds. I did so for 2 weeks but when I went to collect they said they couldn''t pay me. That doesn''t erase the good that unions do for workers.

I now live in a right to work state where a boss can fire me for no reason at all and I would have no legal recourse whatsoever. All the jobs being outsourced are primarily non-union jobs or in areas where unions are weak vis a vis the corporations.

There''s something to be said still for unions.

[prinzowhales]

Edwards is a lawyer who is thought highly of by the elites who attend the Bilderburg conferences-he is busy selling working people another pant load of Democratic promises...Remember Clinton? The Democrats haven''t done one thing about NAFTA, the North American Corridor plans, the continued de-industrialization of America and, of course, the Stupid People''s War for Oil, Israel and Opium.

If you are serious about change, you have to vote for it--not smiley-faced fascists who are peddling the status quo--Kucinich and Gravel on the Democratic side and Paul on the Republican side represent real change.

[infidel_us]

Anything to PO a Nazi is okay with me!! Sieg Heil Bush. hehehehe
Posted by MCVet at 05:47 AM : Sep 04, 2007

Is the post office closed again today, or do you go in on the late shift?

[infidel_us]

"In 2004, the mine workers union gave $510,100 to federal candidates, with 93 percent of it going to Democrats. The United Mine Workers gave $496,050 in the 2006 elections, with 97 percent of it going to Democrats."

And they do this WITHOUT their members'' approval. Unions have long outlived their usefulness....they are just financial support for democrats. Too bad McCain-Feingold didn''t address this issue.

[pwrslm]

Ms. Hill also testified that Brown, who was killed in a plane crash during a trade mission to Bosnia, admitted to her that Hillary Clinton conceived of the scheme to sell seats on trade mission in exchange for campaign contributions. Specifically, the Court heard testimony on how Brown allegedly complained about being %u201CHillary%u2019s [expletive] tour guide.%u201D

http://www.judicialwatch.org/6360.shtml

Yup, they are all crooks and liars.

[realpatriot1]

None of the money donated to finance these campaigns is totally clean which is why we need public financing. It''s mostly democrats who support and speak up for public financing, so the repubs are in no position to call the dems hypocrites until they get onboard themselves and support changing the system.

The real issue here isn''t the money, it''s why do workers and those who support their interests endorse Edwards and why do those who prefer to support strictly corporate interests resort to name calling and accusations of thuggery.

It''s the same when the corporate defenders call him an "ambulance chaser". They would prefer he be a "settlement chaser" who robs the poor to benefit the rich. North Carolina is the least unionized state in the country. For years in the south it has been trial lawyers who''ve been left to equalize the playing field for the poor who are unfortunate enough to be confronted by corporate interests.

That''s why real southern heroes, like Atticus Finch and the characters of John Grisham''s novels are all trial lawyers. They are the defenders of the working man anad woman in the south.

[lastdance2]

RE :
S_Temper - Luigi999 - all others

News Media Hype - Thats all it
Republican (Nazi) Party (B.S)

Each union member - Was asked to give a :
$10 or $15 or $20 or $25 - Dollar donation to
The candidate of their choice
That''s it ! ! ! ! - Do your own math

The total Amount of the money Donated by the Unions.
To Democratic contenders

Is Far Less - Than the Amount of Money from a -
One (1) time delivery of money. This past December
To a Small Air Freight Company in Northern Idaho -
owned by : VP Cheney

The Money was the result of : The Federal Drug Smuggling -
Manufacturing operations - Conducted in the Pacific Northwest
and Canada

It was my understanding - The money was designated for :
Republican Candidates

Brought to you - By everyone''s favorite - Federal Law Enforcement
Organization - - "The FBI"

All of you keep forgetting :
In - Oct 2005 :- FBI Director Robert Mueller Announced :
The FBI would begin to hire people.
Who had a history of smoking : "Marijuana"

The Republican (Nazi) Party - Needed Federal Agents that were
Sympathetic to - The Federal Drug - Smuggling-Manufacturing
Operations - FBI Director : Mueller - Was the one to Supply them.

Lastdance

[usayesterday]

I''m not a member of a union (thankfully), but I have to ask:

When your union endorses a candidate, is there strong-arm tactics used among the union leaders to their rank-and-file to "encourage" their members to vote for the candidate the leadership endorses?

Or, are these endorsements meaningless? How much grief does a union member get if that union member votes for "the other" candidate or even "the other" political party (beit Republican or some third-pary independent)?

[mcvet]

Hey, CBS NEWS website administrators! Fix your d@mn comment board: all the apostrophes show up as quotation marks! Fix it!!!! It is very annoying!
Posted by S_Temper at 03:42 AM : Sep 04, 2007
+ report abuse

Yeah we know YOU "superior" types need to make sure everything fits YOUR opinion of how things should be. Don''t fix it CBS... Anything to PO a Nazi is okay with me!! Sieg Heil Bush. hehehehe

[mcvet]

This only goes to show what IDIOTS the unions have become! Anyone who would endorse a total moron like Edwards would also endorse Michael Vick. Shameless!
Posted by Luigi999 at 02:14 AM : Sep 04, 2007


Sooooooooooo someone is an Idiot for supporting ONE canidate. Why is that Sparky? Could it be because YOU don''t like Edwards so NO ONE ELSE should? Now IF you do not have your hood and sheet on today, go get a dictionary and look up the meaning of the word FASCISM... YEP that is YOU Sparky!! Now shout it out... SIEG HEIL Y''ALL. SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD!! Don''t that make you feel like hoisting the Confederate Battle Flag now? ROFLMAO Dumb as a bag of Hammers!!!

[mcvet]

abbe91, Democrats take dirty money and claim to be honest, so they are hypocrites - there''''s your difference. Union money is dirty bribe money, just as dishonest as corporate money. The US Electoral College is a completely different issue, unrelated to John Edwards taking dirty bribes from the unions.
Posted by S_Temper at 05:09 AM : Sep 04, 2007
+ report abuse

So let''s see, because Democrats can''t get the Fascist to clean up the System and take Money out of our electorial system, they are supposed to do without while the fascist reap all the benefits of Corporate Money? That''s just plain Stupid. NO AMERICAN''s voice should be heard MORE because they have MORE money but that''s what our Electoral System has become. You have to play the game by the rules set up Sparky... want to a clean game? Set the rules up so EVERYONE is on equal footing. Sieg Heil Bush!!

[abbe91]

S_temper,

Did Edwards leave any threatening message on your answering machine ?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/03/national/main3228795.shtml

Now, I can see a difference ...
"Bingo" ... so to speak.

[abbe91]

abbe91, I didn''''t claim corporate money was clean. Go back and read my posts, slowly.
Posted by S_Temper at 05:20 AM : Sep 04, 2007

You said there was a difference. I don''t see a difference.

[abbe91]

"abbe91, Democrats take dirty money and claim to be honest, so they are hypocrites - there''''s your difference.
Posted by S_Temper at 05:09 AM : Sep 04, 2007"

and Halliburton money is clean ? Diebold money is clean ? Hilarious.

[abbe91]

Do Democrats really want campaign finance reform?
Posted by S_Temper at 01:14 AM : Sep 04, 2007

So, it''s ok for republicans but not for democrats ?
It tells a lot about your logic.
Like splitting the electoral college in California, but not in Florida ...

[abbe91]

"And another thing: if Edwards gets elected president, he''''ll have to raise taxes to pay for his haircuts.
Posted by S_Temper at 01:31 AM : Sep 04, 2007"

I''d rather pay taxes for his haircuts than for killing soldiers and Iraqis. Edwards would be bald since long before achieving anything which compares to what Bush did to our debt.

[luigi999-2009]

This only goes to show what IDIOTS the unions have become! Anyone who would endorse a total moron like Edwards would also endorse Michael Vick. Shameless!

[jerr11]

The Democrats are a sorry bunch this election season.

If all they have are these three clowns, we''re in big trouble.

The problem is with the media hype.

We''re getting the media darlings when all we need are the real candidates.