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Obama Supports Union Workers at New Hampshire’s WMUR |
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Technical workers at New Hampshire’s WMUR-TV have a friend in Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Employees at WMUR formed a local union of the Electrical Workers (IBEW) in 2004 but have yet to win a first contract.
Now, using his clout as a presidential candidate in the nation’s first primary state, Obama is stepping in to support WMUR-TV workers.
Obama has written a letter (PDF) to Jeff Bartlett, WMUR-TV’s president and general manager, requesting Bartlett go back to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract. In the letter, Obama notes a fair contract is at the heart of the fight for workers’ rights.
The freedom to form a union must include the right to bargain a fair contract within a reasonable time frame. This is one of the many reasons that I strongly support reforming our nation’s labor laws through the Employee Free Choice Act. These workers have expressed their desire to have a voice on the job and a say in their working conditions and you should honor that choice.
Obama and nearly all the other Democratic candidates for president support the Employee Free Choice Act. Former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Ala.) has not indicated where he stands on Employee Free Choice. Both Obama and former Sen. John Edwards marched alongside striking hotel workers in Chicago earlier this year, and all Democratic candidates except Gravel issued statements in support of the 73,000 striking workers at General Motors Corp. in September. Last week, after several Democratic candidates refused to cross a picket line for a planned debate in the event of a strike at CBS, the Democratic National Committee canceled the debate.
On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) voted to block debate on the Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate, while Reps. Ronald Paul (R-Texas), Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) all voted against the Employee Free Choice Act in the House. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-N.Y.), former Gov. Mitt Roney (R-Mass.) and former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) have all expressed opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.) has not taken a position on the issue. No Republican candidate has made a significant effort to support striking workers this year.
Obama is the first presidential candidate to take this step in support of the WMUR-TV workers. Maybe others will follow?
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John Edwards really helped boost morale - and also draw media attention - to the writers guild strike when he marched with writers on two different occasions. It especially means a lot that he flew all the way to New York, and Burbank, Calif. to show his support. The fact that he took time away from his appearances in the vital early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire to travel a long distance to march with Guild members shows this is genuinely important to him. Edwards walks the walk, and deeply believes that working people deserve better in this country.