Research Briefing

Obama Works To Appease His Union Bosses As His Re-Election Campaign Nears

WITH RE-ELECTION LOOMING, OBAMA IS BACK TO PANDERING TO UNIONS

Unions Are Worried About The Effect New Labor Laws Will Have On Their “Finances And Political Clout.” “Union leaders say overhauls of rules for public- and private-sector unions being considered in Wisconsin, Ohio and about a dozen other states threaten to accelerate the decline in membership nationwide and hurt organized labor's finances and political clout.” (Kris Maher & Doug Belkin, “State Plans Anger Unions,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/16/11)

• “‘It Could Cripple The Democratic Party In 2012,’ Said Nelson Lichtenstein, Director Of The Center For The Study Of Work, Labor And Democracy At The University Of California At Santa Barbara.” (Kris Maher & Doug Belkin, “State Plans Anger Unions,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/16/11)

So Obama "Thrust Himself And His Political Operation" Into Wisconsin's Budget Battle. "President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits and planning similar protests in other state capitals." (Brady Dennis & Peter Wallsten, "Obama Joins Wisconsin's Budget Battle, Opposing Republican Anti-Union Bill," The Washington Post, 2/18/11)

• Obama's "Political Machine Worked In Close Coordination" With Labor Union Officials To Organize Protests. "The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals." (Brady Dennis and Peter  Wallsten, "Obama Joins Wisconsin's Budget Battle, Opposing Republican Anti-Union Bill," The Washington Post, 2/18/11)

“Obama Did Everything This Week That A Loyal Member Of The Labor Movement Could Hope For.” “President Obama did everything this week that a loyal member of the labor movement could hope for: He quickly leapt to the defense of Wisconsin public-employee unions in their battle for bargaining rights, while his political operation worked to instigate additional demonstrations against Republican governors in other states.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama And Unions: Many In Labor Movement Frustrated With President,” The Washington Post, 2/19/11)

• “The Public Backing From President Barack Obama, Meanwhile, Was A Cost-Free Love Letter To His Union Backers.”  (Ben Smith & Maggie Haberman, “Labor Faces A Moment Of Truth In Wisconsin,” Politico, 2/21/11)

BECAUSE AS 2008 SHOWED, OBAMA WILL NEED UNION BOSSES TO GET RE-ELECTED

Obama Owes A Lot To Organized Labor For Helping Him Get Elected. "The Obama administration owes organized labor a lot for its victory in the presidential election, Vice President Biden said Tuesday, and will continue to push for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and other union-backed measures. 'Everybody looks back on the election now and says it was a piece of cake,' Biden said during a speech before a conference of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). 'But let me tell you: You made it cake.'" (Michael O'Brien, "Biden To Labor Group: We Owe You," The Hill, 5/12/09)

• Vice President Biden To Union Bosses: "[W]e Owe You." (Michael O'Brien, "Biden To Labor Group: We Owe You," The Hill, 5/12/09)
• "Biden Also Suggested That As Long As The Obama Administration Has Labor's Support, The Administration Will Support Labor." (Michael O'Brien, "Biden To Labor Group: We Owe You," The Hill, 5/12/09)

And Unions Warn That Without More Advocacy By Obama, Tens Of Thousands Of Union Members “May Be Lost To The Democratic Cause.” “Officials from another AFL-CIO affiliate, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said that tens of thousands of its members have been laid off and that they don't see the White House advocating for them. ‘They may be lost to the Democratic cause,’ said Rick Sloan, a spokesman for the union.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama And Unions: Many In Labor Movement Frustrated With President,” The Washington Post, 2/19/11)

In 2008, Unions Spent Over $400 Million To Elect Obama And Other Democrats. “Unions spent more than $400 million in 2008 to help elect President Barack Obama and other Democrats, with public-sector unions such as AFSCME among the biggest contributors.” (Kris Maher & Doug Belkin, “State Plans Anger Unions,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/16/11)

• Former SEIU President Andy Stern: "We Spent A Fortune To Elect Barack Obama -- $60.7 Million To Be Exact -- And We're Proud Of It." (Michael Mishak, "Unplugged: The SEIU Chief On The Labor Movement And The Card Check," The Las Vegas Sun, 5/10/09)

UNIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID BACK HANDSOMELY FOR THEIR INVESTMENT

Obama Appointed Former Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), A "Longtime Union Ally" And Daughter Of A Teamster, As Labor Secretary. "Mr. Obama's labor secretary, longtime union ally and former California Rep. Hilda Solis, is the daughter of a Teamsters shop steward. She recently moved to quash a Bush administration regulation that would have increased scrutiny of union finances to root out corruption." (S.A. Miller, "Unions Benefit From Obama Decisions," The Washington Times, 5/5/09)

By May 2009, “[Obama] signed four pro-union executive orders, most notably one requiring federal construction projects to favor ‘project labor agreements’ that set aside jobs for union workers.” (S.A. Miller, “Unions Benefit From Obama Decisions,” The Washington Times, 5/5/09)

“The United Auto Workers union would appear to be the big winner in the Chrysler bankruptcy saga, having exercised its considerable political muscle to win a 55% stake in the country's third-largest automaker.” (Tom Krisher and Dave Carpenter, “UAW Wins Big Chrysler Stake But Can't Run Company,” The Associated Press, 5/2/09)

Obama Recess Appointed Craig Becker, A Former Lawyer For Both SEIU And AFL-CIO, To The National Labor Relations Board After His Nomination Was Blocked By The Senate. “Despite intense Republican objections, President Obama on Saturday used recess appointments to fill 15 administration posts without Senate confirmation, including Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. … All 41 Senate Republicans wrote Obama this week urging him not to use a recess appointment for Becker, a former top lawyer with Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO, whose nomination was rejected by the Senate last month, 52-43.” (Kevin Bogardus, “Obama Makes Labor Board Appointment During Recess Over GOP Objections,” Fox News, 3/27/10)

• Becker’s Appointment Is A Means For “Much Of What Organized Labor Hopes To Accomplish Via [The Employee Free Choice Act To] Be Realized Through The Rule-Making Power Of The NLRB.” (Dmitri Iglitzin and Steven Hill, “Obama’s Pro-Union Nominations to Labor Relations Board Stalled,” The Huffington Post, 01/25/10)
• “[SEIU President] Andy Stern’s Go-To Guy: Meet Craig Becker, Labor’s Secret Weapon.” (Editorial, “Andy Stern’s Go-To Guy,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/14/09)

BUT IT’S NEVER ENOUGH FOR UNION BOSSES

Union Bosses Don’t Believe Obama Fights Hard Enough On Their Behalf, Leading To A “Strained” Relationship. “Mr. Obama has had strained relations with unions in general, and many do not believe he fights hard enough for their issues; public employee unions have been especially critical lately, since he proposed a two-year freeze of federal employees’ pay.” (Jackie Calmes, “Wisconsin Puts Obama Between Competing Desires,” The New York Times, 2/20/11)

And Unions Are Frustrated That Obama “Did Not Deliver” During His First Two Years In Office. “Almost all of them are frustrated that Obama did not deliver on more of his promises to labor while Democrats enjoyed substantial majorities in both the House and the Senate.” (George E. Condon Jr., “Obama Meets With Labor Leaders,” National Journal, 12/17/10)

“Now, Many Union Leaders Are Bristling At White House Efforts To Reset Its Relationship With Corporate America.” (Peter Wallsten, “Obama And Unions: Many In Labor Movement Frustrated With President,” The Washington Post, 2/19/11)

• “Many Unions Were Not Pleased With The Administration’s Renegotiation Of The U.S.-South Korea Trade Deal, For Instance, Or The Hiring Of Bill Daley As White House Chief Of Staff.” (Kevin Bogardus, “Trumka: White House Review Of Government Regulations A ‘Distraction,’” The Hill, 1/19/11)

DNC’s Charlotte Pick Seen As A “Stinging Rebuke” To Unions. “In picking North Carolina as the site of their 2012 convention, Democrats didn’t just pick a state that’s relatively unfriendly to unions. They picked the least unionized state in the entire country. It was a stinging rebuke to one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal and influential constituencies. And labor leaders are fuming at the slight.”  (Molly Ball, “Labor Fumes Over Charlotte Pick,” Politico, 2/5/11)

• The Unions Feel “Betrayed” By The Surprise Choice. “Labor sources said the decision to go to Charlotte took them by surprise — the Democratic National Committee did not warn them it was coming or try to soften the blow — and they’re still absorbing the news. But privately, in conversations and e-mails among themselves, members of the labor community feel betrayed, union and Democratic sources say.” (Molly Ball, “Labor Fumes Over Charlotte Pick,” Politico, 2/5/11)