Democrats' Denver choice rankles unions - Yahoo! News

Democrats' Denver choice rankles unions - Yahoo! News: "Democrats' Denver choice rankles unions By JESSE J. HOLLAND, AP Labor Writer Wed Apr 11, 7:08 PM ET WASHINGTON - The Democrats' choice of Denver to anoint their presidential nominee in 2008 has stirred up angst among unions, one of the party's core groups, because of Colorado's reputation as an unfriendly place for organized labor. " Democrats worry that picketing and protests could put a damper on their party. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, will confront some of the problems firsthand Thursday when he arrives in Denver for meetings with local officials and John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO. "Labor is an important partner," DNC spokeswoman Stacie Paxton said this week. "We will continue to address concerns and work with all of our partners toward a mutually acceptable agreement and a successful convention." Things should be rosy between labor unions and the Democratic Party. Union help in the midterm elections helped return Democrats to control of Congress. Unions' issues are now paramount in the House and Senate, where lawmakers have voted to increase the minimum wage and to give airport screeners limited bargaining rights. Democrats have also pushed through the House a bill that would allow workers to form a union after more than 50 percent of its work force has signed union authorization cards. Under the bill a company would no longer have the right to demand a secret-ballot election, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, before a union can be certified. Their eyes on the White House after being on the outside for eight years, Democrats are counting on the Aug. 25-28, 2008, convention going off without a hitch. The brewing labor trouble could become a big problem. Last month, the AFL-CIO threatened to force Democrats to abandon Denver after Colorado's Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter vetoed a bill making it easier to set up all-union workplaces. "Unless we can be assured that the governor will support our values and priorities, we will strongly urge the Democratic Party to relocate the convention," said the AFL-CIO's executive council. Teamsters President James Hoffa chimed in last week, injecting himself into a conversation between Ritter and Sweeney at a Washington, D.C., dinner to say they would "blow up" Denver with picketing and protests if union issues didn't get worked out.