Union Members to Question Presidential Candidates

Will the next president fight for the concerns of working families? Will he or she be accountable to America’s workers — or to corporate donors? Will our nation’s next leader offer empty rhetoric or real change that will increase opportunity and security for ordinary people?

Union members will have an opportunity to find out at an Aug. 7 candidates forum, sponsored by the AFL-CIO and moderated by popular TV host Keith Olbermann. Many of the Democratic presidential hopefuls will attend the forum, where they will debate the issues and answer questions submitted by union members.

The event will be broadcast live on MSNBC cable TV and XM satellite radio, from 7-8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

The candidates who have accepted the labor federation’s invitation to participate are: (listed alphabetically) U.S. Senators Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Christopher Dodd; former Senator John Edwards; U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich; Sen. Barack Obama, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. None of the Republican candidates has agreed to participate.

Initially scheduled at an indoor venue in Chicago, the forum has been moved to Soldier Field stadium to accommodate the thousands of union members who have requested tickets.

Members of AFL-CIO affiliate unions in the Chicago area can request tickets from their local unions or the Chicago Federation of Labor at 312-222-1000; members outside the Chicago area may request tickets from the AFL-CIO by calling 202-637-5297 or e-mailing kbauer@aflcio.org. Due to federal elections law, only union members and their families may attend the forum.

“I urge APWU members to attend or watch the forum,” said APWU President William Burrus. “I encourage every APWU member to get involved in the process of choosing the candidate who will best protect the interests of our nation’s working families.”

The AFL-CIO has asked union activists who cannot attend the forum to host “watch parties” for family members, co-workers, and friends to view the forum and discuss the critical issues in the 2008 election. The presidential forum and AFL-CIO’s interactive Working Families Vote 2008 Web site are part of the labor movement’s efforts to involve union members in selecting America’s next president and to ensure that the candidates are hearing working families’ concerns.

The AFL-CIO has not endorsed a presidential candidate.