Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have chosen not to intervene in a dispute between their national party committee and a powerful group of unions, despite calls placed by the unions to congressional offices alerting lawmakers of their grievances.
The rift between the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the unions, some of the party's most generous and loyal financial supporters, could impact the November elections.
Building trades unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO are still angry at DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, a member of the William J. Clinton Foundation's board of directors, because of contentious negotiations over the construction of Clinton's presidential library.
In particular, union leaders are incensed the library foundation refused to contract only with organized labor and, as a result, have threatened to continue withholding contributions to the DNC.
Data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics show the 14 unions under the Building and Construction Trades Department have given over $8 million in hard and soft money (more than 90 percent of their donations) to Democrats this election cycle.
In the previous cycle, those unions gave over $16 million to Democratic candidates and fundraising committees.
"The Building and Construction Trades Department per se makes very nominal contributions to the DNC, but the unions affiliated with the [department] give a considerable amount," said Ray Abernathy, a spokesman for the department. But Abernathy added that party leaders have not made any efforts to heal relations between the unions and the committee.
"Nobody has attempted to smooth anything out," he said.
Aides to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-N.D.) and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) confirmed that no one in their offices has attempted to patch up the fractured relations.
"I'm sure we've gotten calls on [it], but we're not involved," said Gephardt 's spokeswoman Kori Bernards.
Daschle and Gephardt's inactivity is surprising because during this year's midterm election, in the absence of a presidential race, the DNC is focusing its efforts on helping Democrats defend the Senate and capture the House.
Daschle and Gephardt also have better relations with labor than Clinton and McAuliffe, his top fundraiser, according to union political directors. While Clinton championed the North American Free Trade Agreement, anathema to organized labor, Gephardt and Daschle have fought for labor interests, such as worker health benefits, in recent congressional trade battles.
Sen. Ted Kennedy (R-Mass.), a champion of workers' rights, has also decided not to intervene in the dispute, despite union efforts to stir up sentiments on the Hill.
"They're making phone calls on Capitol Hill to make sure people know about it," said one Senate aide.
Local unions in Arkansas forged an agreement with the library last week that requires union laborers, if available, to provide 75 percent of the work on the project.
But national building trades unions say the deal is not good enough and will likely jeopardize future donations.
"We expect [the member unions] will continue to withhold contributions to the DNC because they are furious about this," said Abernathy.
The project will cost $150 million.
Every presidential library built in the last 25 years has been built by 100 percent union labor, including the library of President Reagan, whom few considered a friend of organized labor.
Clinton, who supported project labor agreements during his administration, surprised and inflamed his former allies in the building trades by breaking the tradition.
"A project labor agreement is a win-win for the community and for our members and for the library," said Joanna Reagan, the assistant to the president of governmental relations at the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers. "We're baffled that they didn't want to do a project labor agreement."
An aide to McAuliffe, who declined to speak on the record, said the DNC was not involved in the negotiations over library construction.
However, Skip Rutherford, the president of the Clinton Foundation, said McAuliffe had discussions with Bruce Lindsey, the project's lead negotiator, during the labor talks.
Rutherford also said the DNC was not formally involved in the process. "We have a really good agreement," he said.
Rutherford said the local unions forged the agreement on the advice of the national unions and that objections from national leaders now are an "after the fact realization."
Leaders of the 14 building trades unions voted two weeks ago to suspend donations to the committee.
Steve Rosenthal, political director of the AFL-CIO, said the political directors of the organization's member unions will likely discuss the matter at their next monthly meeting in early July.
"We have been doing whatever we can to support the building trades unions in their negotiations," said Rosenthal. "[AFL-CIO President] John Sweeney has been personally involved in the discussions on how to resolve this dispute."