WASHINGTON (AP) -- Organized labor has yet to organize when it comes to choosing a Democrat to challenge President Bush. Late entrant Wesley Clark is shaking up the process even further, with some key unions delaying endorsement plans to see if he energizes voters.þþMany unions had expected to endorse a 2004 choice this month or next, but they became wary about getting tied to a loser in a volatile contest with a crowded field that has seen the early front-runner trip and a once-afterthought soar.þþEnter Clark -- and intrigue for several unions whose rank-and-file have failed to coalesce around one candidate. Will the retired four-star general be the savior leading Democrats back to the White House? Or will he flame out? Some unions are taking time to find out.þþThe American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, with 1.5 million members, has pushed back endorsement plans to early December based on Clark's potential.þþClark caught the attention of union President Gerald McEntee, who had been urging him to run. McEntee's union provided crucial, early support to Bill Clinton in 1991.þþ``Our people, they kind of expected maybe one-dimension and they got multi-dimensions and they were quite interested and pleased,'' said McEntee, who also chairs the AFL-CIO's political committee.þþThey thought ``he could most certainly debate Bush and maybe take him out of that bubble that he's been in since 9-11,'' McEntee said.þþThe 1.2-million-member American Federation of Teachers probably will delay an endorsement, too, said spokesman Alex Wohl. The union's executive council is scheduled to meet early next month to gauge support.þþ``There really hasn't been any real jelling of support for any one candidate,'' Wohl said. Clark now ``moves us to a possible pushing back to see the dynamics, to learn more about him and to see what our members think.''þþThe union interest in Clark further hurts the chances of Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., winning an overall AFL-CIO endorsement.þþAFL-CIO President John Sweeney has said he would call a meeting around Oct. 15 to consider Gephardt, but only if there was sufficient support from about two-thirds of the federation's 13 million members. That could be difficult with key unions in a holding pattern.þþOrganized labor is basically split into two camps: unions that want Gephardt to be the Democratic nominee and those that don't. He has 14 national union endorsements so far.þþUnions with concerns about Gephardt's second run for the White House mostly have been debating between Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Kerry attracted a lot of early attention from labor leaders, but his support diminished as Dean's campaign gained traction. Now several are wondering if Clark is the solution.þþ``Members of the Service Employees International Union are not locked in yet,'' said President Andy Stern. ``This is a very fluid situation. There's definitely an opportunity for people to make their case.''þþThe Service Employees, the largest union in the AFL-CIO with 1.6 million members, has postponed an endorsement until at least November.þþThe International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, with 780,000 members, could hold off until next year, said spokesman Jim Spellane. ``We need to see who can rally the troops when the time comes,'' he said. Members are ``all over the lot right now.''þþClark is ``just one more factor. He clearly has gotten some buzz real fast. It adds another flavor to the mix.''þþþþ
Source: NY Times
