AHA! That's what dirty yellow friends are for!

[Marko Ajdaric]

The 13.1 million-member AFL-CIO endorsed Vice President Gore's bid for the
presidency today, giving his struggling campaign a huge infusion of
manpower, organization and money -- and, most important, direct access to
union households making up a quarter of the Democratic primary electorate in
key battleground states.

Two major unions -- the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers -- abstained
in protest of administration free-trade policies, though in recent weeks the
White House has moved to emphasize its commitment to addressing labor issues
in trade pacts. Officials expect both unions to eventually endorse Gore, but
a key political question is whether the lingering conflicts over trade
issues will mean that the labor federation's backing for Gore will not be
full-bore and enthusiastic.

Securing the AFL-CIO's backing was considered the "first primary" by both
Gore and his main rival, former senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey. Not only
is the endorsement a political boost for Gore, who has been slipping in the
polls, but it means he will almost instantly obtain an array of phone banks,
precinct workers, communications networks and local advocates in key primary
states.

In Iowa, which holds the first caucuses in the nation 15 weeks from now, for
instance, labor will put 40 campaign workers in each congressional district.
Statewide, there are 160,000 union members.

Polling now suggests that Gore is the favorite in Iowa and Bradley in New
Hampshire, where labor is weaker. If Gore and Bradley split those states in
early February, then it will put labor to the test in New York and
California, where the nation's largest blocs of union workers are located in
the New York City and Los Angeles areas. New York and California will hold
their primaries shortly after New Hampshire, on March 7, along with at least
nine other states.

The only other time labor has endorsed this early in the process was 1983,
when the beneficiary was former vice president Walter F. Mondale. In that
contest, labor played a crucial role in keeping the Mondale campaign afloat
during a brutal challenge by Gary Hart, who unexpectedly beat Mondale in the
New Hampshire primary. Mondale went on to win the Democratic nomination.

Under the leadership of John Sweeney, the AFL-CIO has reemerged as a major
political force. Since the Democrats lost control of Congress in 1994,
organized labor has played a key role reviving party fortunes, providing the
margin of victory in a host of statewide and congressional races in the
elections of 1996 and 1998. Sweeney and other union leaders are determined
to prevent a Republican lock on Congress and the White House after the 2000
elections, preparing to spend $40 million on union mobilization in key
centers of labor strength.

Gore and his campaign aides were ecstatic over the labor federation's
decision.

"I stand with you, I will fight for you," Gore told the cheering convention
delegates. The vice president moved immediately to assuage conflicts with
industrial unionists over trade, reiterating administration policy that
future trade agreements will have key labor and environmental provisions in
the documents, not "side" agreements as in the case of the North American
Free Trade Agreement. "I will insist on workers' rights, human rights and
environmental standards as part of the agreements," Gore promised the
convention.

Tonight in Washington, President Clinton also said he will put labor and
environmental issues higher on the agenda in future trade talks. (Details,
Page E1.)

"This was a fundamental test of strength at a critical point in the
nomination process," said Gore strategist Tad Devine. "We have a contest
centered on fighting for working families; to have the support of the
organizations that represent those families is one of the most critical
endorsements to have," he said. "The party that wins households [with
incomes] between $30,000 and $50,000 will be the party that wins the
election for president."

Bradley, who had fought to delay the endorsement, issued a conciliatory
statement, saying he respected the federation's decision and that his
"commitment to working men and women and the role that labor can play in
their lives is unwavering." The AFL-CIO, in announcing the endorsement, was
careful to tip its hat to Bradley and his "good record" on labor issues.

Teamsters leaders voiced the only public opposition to the early
endorsement. James P. Hoffa, the president, told the convention: "I
understand the need to lead, but there is also a need to listen. Now is the
time to listen." Jerry Vincent, a Kentucky Teamsters delegate, told
representatives of the 68 member unions in the federation: "In the South, we
always say, 'Don't wrap that pig, weigh it.' And we'd like to have it
weighed before it's wrapped."

While the Teamsters are expected to eventually endorse Gore, Hoffa aides
said today he would also seek to meet with the GOP front-runner, Texas Gov.
George W. Bush.

Republican Party officials immediately moved to try to drive a wedge between
the unions that led the charge in support of Gore -- largely, public
employee organizations -- and the industrial unions that were most opposed
to the early endorsement.

"Today's split decision does expose the fault line between labor leaders
representing America's traditional industrial and service employee unions .
. . and the union bosses whose base consists of government bureaucrats. In
the labor movement today, workers who pay taxes are being held captive by
those who spend them," said Republican National Committee Chairman Jim
Nicholson.