Clinton, Obama woo union vote in Pennsylvania

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20080405_Clinton__Obama_woo_union_vote_in_Pennsylvania.html

By Gail Shister

Inquirer Staff Writer

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama both want to buy the union label, but neither has rung up a final sale in Pennsylvania.

Judging by conversations this week at the state AFL-CIO convention, union members remain split between the Democratic rivals, who both came to woo the 850 delegates at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel.


ERIC MENCHER / Inquirer Staff
Angie York's AFSCME Local 1050 is backing Clinton. "She wants to bring jobs back to Pennsylvania," York said.


About one-third of the convention's 40-plus locals have endorsed Clinton, one-third are in Obama's camp, and one-third are undecided, according to AFL-CIO spokesman Jim Degan. Pennsylvania has 830,000 union members, the fourth-largest total among the states.

During a break in the meetings, Angie York and Toni Reisinger, Oil City High School classmates and members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1050, discussed why their union is backing Clinton as they grabbed a smoke outside the hotel.

"She wants to bring jobs back to Pennsylvania," said York, 37, an aide at Polk Center, a state residential facility in Venango County for people with mental retardation. She and her husband, a steelworker, have three children, ages 14 to 20.

"Obama doesn't care about Pennsylvania," she said. "He doesn't know what knows. We are a manufacturing state. I don't think he has a clue what it's going to take to bring jobs back."

FULL story at link.