- Playing
- Labor's Foot Soldiers
- From
- Dick Meister
Organized labor has begun what's shaping up as the biggest campaign in labor history. Unions are hoping to play a major role -- if not a decisive role -- in electing decidedly labor-friendly Barack Obama and a large majority of labor-friendly Democratic congressional candidates. Obama and the other Democrats have promised to try to enact labor's far-reaching wish list. It includes, above all , a proposed law that would grant millions of working people the absolute right to unionization that has been denied them by anti-labor Republicans, President Bush and GOP members of Congress chief among them.
More from Dick Meister
Good News For Our Neediest Workers
(04:03)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: More than 850,000 minimum wage workers in 10 states will be getting raises in the new year.
Home Care Workers Need Presidential Help
(02:21)
From: Dick Meister
It's time for President Obama to help the country's home care workers.
Many Profit From Bowl Games. But Not The Players
(04:01)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Student athletes get very little of the millions generated by college football's bowl games.
A Free Choice For US Workers
(04:13)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: It's time to enact a proposed law that would give workers the absolute right to unionization.
We All Need A Higher Minimum Wage
(04:33)
From: Dick Meister
Raising the minimum wage should be a key post-election priority.
Labor's Major Election Challenge
(02:41)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Labor faces its greatest election challenge in California.
Missing A Vital Election Message
(03:13)
From: Dick Meister
Repealing the union-crippling Taft-Hartley Act should have been a prime issue throughout the election campaign.
A Farm Worker Champion
(02:56)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: John Steinbeck was a great champion of farm labor.
We're Providing The Wrong Kind Of New Jobs
(03:01)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Although we're recovering from the Great Recession, most of the new jobs are low-paying, non-union jobs.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Organized labor has begun what's shaping up as the biggest campaign in labor history. Unions are hoping to play a major role -- if not a decisive role -- in electing decidedly labor-friendly Barack Obama and a large majority of labor-friendly Democratic congressional candidates. Obama and the other Democrats have promised to try to enact labor's far-reaching wish list. It includes, above all , a proposed law that would grant millions of working people the absolute right to unionization that has been denied them by anti-labor Republicans, President Bush and GOP members of Congress chief among them.
Broadcast History
None
Transcript
Organized labor is making certain that Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates will have plenty of foot soldiers to help them round up votes on this year?s campaign trails.
The AFL-CIO has already launched what?s likely to be the biggest political campaign in labor history to help elect Obama president and help elect enough other Democrats to create a ?worker-friendly Congress.?
Thousands of volunteers will spread the word among union members and others ? speaking urgently of a need to replace anti-labor President Bush with pro-labor Obama rather than anti-labor John McCain. They?ll be attempting as well to help increase the Democrats? Senate margin by enough to block Republican filibusters of pro-labor legislation.
Labor aims to turn out more than 13 million voters in two-dozen key states, where volunteers also will campaign for labor supporters who are running for state...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
INTRO: Commentator Dick Meister says unions are going all-out for their political friends.
OUTRO: Dick Meister is a veteran labor and political journalist.
Related Website
