Obama–AFL-CIO Lovefest: Once Again, Labor Hopes President Will Prove Loyalty

[Enrique]

Obama–AFL-CIO Lovefest: Once Again, Labor Hopes President Will Prove Loyalty

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6290/obamaafl-cio_lovefest_once_again_labor_hopes_president_will_prove_loya/

WASHINGTON D.C.—Like a lover gone astray returning to declare his love, President Barack Obama appeared yesterday at the executive committee of the AFL CIO, the country's largest federation of labor unions.

The executive committee of the AFL CIO comprises three leaders of the AFL CIO and 43 vice presidents elected from the various unions of the AFL CIO – basically they run the organization and make all its decisions. Obama's goal was pretty clear: offer his apologies to unions and raise money for the fall election. Top democratic fundraiser Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) followed him on the agenda.

The labor movement is in very rough shape. As Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson noted in February, "For American labor, year one of Barack Obama's presidency has been close to an unmitigated disaster." Its greatest defeat during the period? The proposed Employee Free Choice Act's failure, due to White House unwillingness to invest political capital in it.

But Obama’s rock star presence seemed to change the labor's dire mood completely. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has characterized Obama’s endorsement of the mass firing of union teachers at Central Falls, R.I., as a desperate attempt to "score political points by scapegoating teachers," But she gave the president a kiss on the cheek and gleefully took photos of him with her iPhone.

When Obama offered his apologies, the elation of the room of labor leaders simply burst. He touched on the two issues at the heart of labor leaders – unionbusting and trade reform – in a way he never had before. Obama said: “We are going to rebuild this economy stronger than before, and at the heart of it are going to be three powerful words: Made in America.” Obama continued “We’re finally enforcing our trade laws—in some cases for the very first time” in reference to his decision to place tariffs on illegal Chinese tire dumping and the first ever US filed labor rights complaint against Guatemala.

(...)

[Catshrink]

1. Fool me once...

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Charlie Brown... Football...

Obama's against busting teachers unions as long as all schools are above average.

[katandmoon]

3. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

[sandnsea]

4. I guess they missed the Detroit union workers

who credit Obama for saving their entire industry.

http://obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=1798

Then there's the massive numbers of teachers whose jobs have been saved twice now, just through the stimulus.

And the other teachers who have new jobs due to new programs.

Now we have the first US labor based trade complaint.

Some people measure a leader by their successes.

[Enrique]

8. they didn't miss anything

read the article, there's plenty of pro-Obama quotes from labor leaders in it.

[ProSense]

5. Maybe the

signs are good

[Enrique]

9. that's mentioned in the article

it's in the excerpt I posted. And there's a story over to the side at the "In these times" site.

[villager]

6. With a party that "Loves Labor lost?"

Apologies to a certain British playwright...

[AnneD]

7. It has all the markings...

of a dysfunctional relationship- like battered wife syndrome.

[msongs]

10. promise em anything til after they vote for you lol nt