WASHINGTON (AP) -- Walking a line between help and hindrance, influence and annoyance, organized labor factions are trying to gently nudge Dick Gephardt and John Edwards onto the Democratic presidential ticket.þþDespite labor's strong ties to Rep. Gephardt, unions aren't solidly behind him as John Kerry's pick for vice president. Some prefer Sen. John Edwards as the fresh face they think can bring energy and charisma to the ticket.þþRegardless, they're all hoping to influence Kerry. His decision is expected this month, probably before the Democratic National Convention in Boston, which starts July 26.þþOn Gephardt's side are blue-collar, hard hat unions that fervently backed the Missouri congressman during his failed presidential bid. The growing service and public employee unions that bypassed Gephardt in the primaries are generally behind Edwards.þþ``I firmly believe he would make a great vice president and a great running mate,'' Bruce Raynor, president of UNITE, said of Edwards. Formerly the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, the union is merging with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees this week, with Raynor heading the new organization.þþRaynor said he was ``doing everything I can'' to help make the Edwards case, including talking up the North Carolina senator at a meeting with Kerry and in subsequent conversations.þþ``He would add dramatically to this ticket,'' said Raynor, whose union remained neutral in the primaries, eventually endorsing Edwards in early February as Kerry's lone challenger. ``But ultimately, the decision is Senator Kerry's.''þþUnions, the voter mobilizing force of the Democratic Party, are spending tens of millions of dollars to help elect Kerry. But when it comes to his running mate, they're treading carefully, trying to pitch their favorites without being an irritant to Kerry and his campaign.þþ``This isn't something you lobby,'' said Rick Sloan, spokesman for the International Association of Machinists, which endorsed Gephardt. ``The last thing you would want is for it to be seen as counterproductive.''þþMany unions want to see Gephardt rewarded for the 14 terms he has served as a loyal ally, especially on the issues of trade and jobs. The Teamsters haven't been shy about telling Kerry that.þþPresident James P. Hoffa, who attended law school with Gephardt, repeatedly has urged Kerry to pick the former House minority leader. He did so publicly in May at the union's annual conference in Las Vegas, where both politicians spoke.þþ``We have made it clear that we want Gephardt,'' said Mike Mathis, the Teamsters' government affairs director. Gephardt spoke frequently on the campaign trail about his father, a milk truck driver and a Teamster.þþWhile most labor leaders have a good relationship with Kerry, they recognize that all but two unions rebuffed him and endorsed other Democrats in the primaries. Thus, influence and a seat in his inner circle are illusive.þþGephardt supporters hope the Missouri congressman's chances will be helped by the presence of his former campaign manager, Steve Elmendorf, who is now Kerry's deputy.þþOther unions wanted a fresh face. For the two largest unions in the AFL-CIO -- the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- that face was Howard Dean.þþNow, instead of flocking to the man considered labor's candidate, SEIU leaders prefer Edwards, the smooth-talking, feel-good, former trial lawyer initially dismissed as a primary lightweight. Like Gephardt, Edwards also has labor ties: his brother belongs to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and his mother is a retired member of the Letter Carriers.þþSEIU President Andy Stern said that, in a straw poll, 90 percent of his union's executive board chose the first-term senator. He hadn't decided how hard to pursue that with Kerry. AFSCME declined to discuss its preference.þþThe one major union with Kerry campaign clout isn't talking. The International Association of Fire Fighters was one of two unions to give primary endorsements to Kerry at a time when his campaign was on the rocks.þþUnion spokesman Jeff Zack said unions' lobbying efforts, successful or not, don't matter much in the end. That's because labor leaders aren't going to flock to President Bush if Kerry doesn't choose their guy, he said.þþ``At the top, there's a policy debate going on,'' he said. ``But at the end of the day, workers across the country are going to be getting out to vote for John Kerry, and that's what is important.''þþ
Source: NY Times
