SEIU inspects '08 Democratic contenders

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - One of the most influential unions in politics is giving Democrats running for president the once over.

The Service Employees International Union is shoehorning interviews with eight candidates into a two-day meeting of its 60-member international executive board at Gallaudet University. The meetings Friday and Saturday are closed to the public and the media.

The sessions are testament to how much the Democratic candidates value support among labor unions — witness Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) of Illinois and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards working the room for long after their appearances, attendees said. SEIU is the largest, with nearly 2 million members nationwide and large membership in the early voting states of Iowa and Nevada.

Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of SEIU, said even though there's a year until Democrats cast their first ballots in the race, it's time to start a conversation about issues important to working Americans. "In reality, the 2008 presidential campaign has already kicked off," Burger said.

The union has a new requirement to get its endorsement — candidates will have to spend time on the job with a member and in their homes to experience their lives.

"We think that it's really important for all candidates, Democrats or Republicans, to spend time with our members learning what it feels like to be worried about your kids having a worse life," Burger said. A recent poll of members found a majority thought their children would be worse off.

But questions have arisen about how much influence the labor movement has in modern elections.

SEIU endorsed Howard Dean in the 2004 campaign, and he finished third in Iowa, struggled in the primaries and eventually bowed out. Union membership is steadily declining and reached a low of 12 percent of U.S. workers last year, according to federal statistics out this week.

The pressures on organized labor led to a split starting in the summer of 2005, with SEIU and more than a half-dozen other unions breaking free of the AFL-CIO.

SEIU recently announced that it was joining forces with trial lawyers and other political activists to press Democratic lawmakers to support populist issues such as expanded health care, trade restrictions and worker protections.

Friday's appearances include Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Joe Biden of Delaware and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut is scheduled to appear in person Saturday, and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson plan to appear via video feed.

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On the Net:

Service Employees International Union: http://www.seiu.org

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_el_pr/labor2008 [link]