Posted on 09/06/2012 10:16:30 AM PDT by jazusamo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is leaving Charlotte on Thursday and will not attend President Obama's acceptance speech.
Trumka is leaving early in order to avoid the travel crush at the Charlotte airport on Friday, according to a spokesman for Workers’ Voice, the AFL-CIO’s super-PAC. But there have been tensions between the Obama administration and organized labor for some time.
Spokesman Eddie Vale said Trumka and others union officials' absence was not related to labor’s frustrations with Democrats.
“Nope, this has nothing to do with that,” he said in an email. “We're looking forward to Obama accepting the nomination tonight and working to elect him, we just wanted to make sure that local workers could have this experience since they're the ones who made the convention work and have been so helpful to us.”
Labor groups were unhappy with the Democrats' decision to hold their convention in North Carolina, a right-to-work state that has the lowest union density in the country.
And the AFL-CIO has spent less on this convention compared to prior ones. The federation has had a smaller staff presence in Charlotte compared to the Democratic convention four years ago in Denver but did rent out a skybox like past events.
Trumka did address the delegates on Wednesday, as did UAW President Ben King. Both groups have endorsed Obama and are working to get him reelected, seeing him as a lesser evil than Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Organized labor has the money and the man-power to be a powerful ally to the president but Trumka's departure will raise more questions about the relationship between Obama and one of Democrats' most reliable group of supporters.
Unions, insist, however, they are fully on board and point out their grassroots efforts and other plans to return Obama to the Oval Office.
And with Obama's acceptance speech moving indoors Thursday evening, staff for the AFL-CIO are giving away their credentials for the big event.
Due to the change of venue, fewer people will be able to attend the speech in the Time Warner Cable Arena than in the massive, outdoor Bank of America Stadium. Consequently, aides to the nation’s largest labor federation are giving their credentials to workers from Charlotte as well as to the North Carolina State AFL-CIO so they can distribute them to other local workers.
“Instead we'll be having our own little watch party with some barbecue!” Vale said.
All these people leaving - sure does feel like “something” is going to happen. False flag?
How many of you believe he is leaving early to avoid the travel rush?
How many of you believe they moved Obama’s speech away from the stadium because of worries about rain?
How many of you believe that 2/3 of delegates were in favor of restoring God to the Democrat platform?
Getting the turd in the punch bowl out of the room.
They are pissed because they’ve been had-and NC is not exactly a union, liberal stronghold-hell, if I were Trumka, too.
He has some Tea Party grannies and disabled people he needs to beat the hell out of.
Oops! “If I were Trumka, I’d leave, too”.
More like there is only room for one big turd in the punchbowl.
I heard Obama is changing the venue over to Muddy’s Place. There is a $5 cover. And no, you can’t touch the girls.
LOL. Great post and comment by you, jaz!
One fewer thug on hand tonight.
As if he’d have any interest in touching a girl. You can tell that when he’s play-acting with his beard his stomach is roiling.
I am not buying that story. That would be like visiting family for Thanksgiving and leaving Wednesday night or Thursday morning. I look forward to hearing more of the story.
Maybe he lost his golden ticket to attend the Obama performance due to lack of seats.
We'll soon know for sure, I wouldn't put it past either of them to have something up their sleeve.
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