Democratic candidates are far better for working people than Bush and the Republican candidates

Although the International Executive Board has not endorsed a candidate, it will obviously back whoever gets the Democratic nomination. When they interviewed Edwards, Clinton and Obama, all three committed to sign into law the Employee Free Choice Act. This is the most important piece of labor legislation in decades. Any of the three will be a great improvement over the Bush Administration and any of the three are head-and-shoulders above any of the Republican candidates.

While I understand the position the International Executive Board has taken, I believe that former Senator John Edwards should have received our endorsement. His commitment to restoring the working middle class in America is the centerpiece of his campaign. On all of the issues, whether it is health care reform, taxation, the war in Iraq or the economy, his first concern is how it affects working families. He is so pro labor that he has refused contributions from Wall St. and their corporate interests. Unfortunately, in today's politics, that is why he is running third in the primaries.

Now, more than ever, it's time for organized labor to hold politicians accountable. In the last edition of the paper, I published the names and phone numbers of five Congressmen who voted against us on the Peru Free Trade Agreement. Hopefully you called them to express your displeasure. These are politicians that we have always supported and rightly expect their support back on such a core labor issue.

With three elections this year we have to put the fire to the politicians' feet. We can't afford these stabs in the back.

We need to be registered to vote, participating in the D.R.I.V.E. program and be willing to spend the time to be successful in the political process.

Our jobs and quality of life depend on it.