What I heard is that the A-16 Mobe went to the Public Policy division of the AFL-CIO first and thats why the endorsement got stalled. Once they finally talked to Jobs With Justice and the Field Mobilization department, things went much smoother. According to a friend of mine, if they had known who in the bureaucracy to talk to first, the endorsement would have been made 3 weeks earlier, and with an earlier AFL endorsement I think there probably would have been more unionists there.
Even with all the weaknesses of labor's participation, the most striking aspect is that they supported it, period. Can you imagine Lane Kirkland being part of this action?
Meany and Kirkland are spinning in their graves right now.
Changing the AFL is a process. Linking up with the right folks in the AFL is also a process. It's not a monolith anymore.
I also suspect there were forces in the A16 coalition who probably aren't that supportive of linking up with "big labor", so there are obstacles on both sides.
-Andy English
>
>Regarding the Labor Party, at the 'wrap-up press conference'
>on C-Span held by Movement for Justice, they said the LP
>had played an important role in the organizing, and they
>had Tony Mazzochhi speak. So maybe the LP was more of a
>factor than evident.
>