WASHINGTON (AP) -- John Kerry's lobbying contacts last year were almost exclusively with labor representatives as he geared up for grueling primary battles with other Democratic presidential candidates vying for union support.þþReleasing a list of meetings with lobbyists dating to 1989, Kerry listed 14 meetings last year, including 11 with union officials. He also met with the Sierra Club Foundation, an environmental group that supports his position on energy legislation.þþPrior to 2003, the list of nearly 200 contacts includes meetings with major high-tech companies including Microsoft and Cisco, telecommunications giant Verizon and influential Democratic lobbyists including Thomas Boggs Jr., of the Patton Boggs firm in Washington.þþHe met with the brother-in-law of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in 1998. Hugh Rodham was with a group of lawyers involved in state lawsuits against the tobacco industry.þþKerry's 2003 contacts included several meetings with Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers.þþThe Massachusetts senator didn't vote a single time against the AFT, according to the union's latest scorecard. In 2001 and 2002, he sided with the AFT on bills to spend more for school construction and in opposing private school vouchers.þþHe also met in 2003 with representatives of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, UNITE and the Service Employees International Union.þþSince Kerry joined the Senate in 1985, he has consistently worked with the AFL-CIO in passing labor-friendly legislation. He backed the labor position more than 90 percent of the time, on issues such as raising the minimum wage, expanding access to affordable health care and protecting the rights of workers to organize.þþEarly in the presidential primaries, when Kerry's campaign was struggling, only two major unions supported him: the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Utility Workers Union of America.þþFormer Vermont Gov. Howard Dean initially won the support of two of the largest and most politically active unions -- AFSCME and SEIU. Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., was supported by nearly two dozen mostly industrial unions, including the Teamsters.þþOnce Gephardt's and Dean's presidential campaigns faded, however, those unions quickly rallied behind Kerry. The AFL-CIO endorsed Kerry in February.þþKerry and the Sierra Club both opposed a major Republican-backed energy bill that died in the Senate.þþDebbie Sease, head of the group's Washington office, met with Kerry on the legislation last year along with colleagues from the environmental organization. Kerry and environmentalists opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, wanted more fuel economy and more renewable forms of energy than the bill would have provided, she said.þþKerry met in 2002 and 2000 with Microsoft representatives.þþCompany spokeswoman Ginny Terzano said Microsoft ``worked hard to develop a policy presence in Washington'' and discussed a number of issues with Kerry and other lawmakers. Among them: anti-piracy measures, privacy and spam.þþShe said Kerry incorrectly listed a meeting in 2000. The list said he met with chief executive officer Steve Ballmer, but the session actually was with another Microsoft official, Terzano said.þþ
Source: NY Times
