Labor Leaders Plan to Apply New Clout in Effort for Obama (A.F.L-C.I.O planning huge GOTV effort)

New York Times ^ | 03/12/2012 | STEVEN GREENHOUSE

[SeekAndFind]

As the A.F.L.-C.I.O. prepares to endorse President Obama on Tuesday, labor leaders say they will mount their biggest campaign effort, with far more union members than ever before — at least 400,000, they say — knocking on voters’ doors to counter the well-endowed “super PACs” backing Republicans.

The same Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that set the stage for these political action committees to accept unlimited donations also allowed unions to send their foot soldiers to visit not just union members at home, but also voters who do not belong to unions — a move expected to increase labor’s political clout significantly in this year’s elections.

Unions first used their expanded ability in a big way in Ohio last November to educate and mobilize both union and nonunion voters in a battle to repeal a law that curbed bargaining rights for Ohio’s teachers, firefighters and other public employees. Spurred by 17,000 union volunteers, labor won in a blowout, with Ohioans voting 62 percent to 38 percent to repeal a law that the Republican-dominated Legislature had enacted seven months earlier.

“That was a pretty big wake-up call to the Republican Party and also to the Democratic Party, because it showed what labor unions can do when they’re motivated and can reach out to voters across the board,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

With numerous super PACs expected to broadcast a flood of TV spots in support of the Republican nominee, the Obama campaign is looking to organized labor to play a major role in offsetting that. Labor leaders say they expect unions to spend $400 million this year on national, state and local elections — including $100 million by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees —

[EQAndyBuzz]

Good enough reason to revoke every labor law and end the NLRB.

If a union is going to organize a political campaign, then it should not be granted protections by labor laws.

[Nervous Tick]

>> far more union members than ever before — at least 400,000, they say — knocking on voters’ doors

Oh PLEASE knock on my door, marxist union puke! PleasepleasepleasepleasePLEEZE...

Let’s you ‘n me have a little talk.

[ILS21R]

F.U.A.F.L.-C.I.O.

[Rappini]

If they have to resort to this that means they are in that deep brown stuff.

[rainee]

If they have to resort to this that means they are in that deep brown stuff.

* That was exactly my thought, this smells of desperation..

[JPG]

If they can still walk when you get done with them...send ‘em over to my place and I’ll continue the discussion.

[Buckeye McFrog]

If he wins a second term after this he is gonna owe them EVERYTHING. We will wake up on January 21 to learn that he has signed in Executive Order enrolling us all in unions.

[SoFloFreeper]

Fine with me. I believe a good number of union rank and file workers are sick of Obama.

[Thunder90]

Remember, this law also allows George Soros and others to creat their own superpacs and to donate unlimited funds to superpacs. We will be outspent this election 4:1 just in the Presidential contest, and yet we are nominating a candidate who needs a 6:1 advantage over the next two candidates to win his primaries.