Local Union leader skirts AFL-CIO endorsement with Weldon fundraiser

Lots of Sestak/Weldon news in the Delco Times today.

In the interest of being fair, (which we don't necessarily have to do,) I thought I'd mention that while Sestak was holding court near Havertown's Superfund site and getting the League of Conservation Voters endorsement, Weldon was attending a fundraiser hosted by some local union people (according to the Delco Daily Times article).

This sets up an interesting conflict between the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, who has backed Sestak (Sources: Forbes, 7/28/2006 ,Delco Daily Times, 7/28/2006 and these local labor people, some of whom are in the AFL-CIO.

According to the Delco Daily Times:

[Danny] Kubik, who serves as president of the Delaware County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, said he wasn’t hosting the event [for Weldon] in that capacity, but as a business representative for the operating engineers and chairman of the Delaware County Committee of Philadelphia Building Trades.

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President William George made it clear last month that Kubik’s council is prohibited from working for Weldon because the state organization is backing Sestak.

"If the council spends one penny on behalf of Weldon, there will be a takeover of that council," George told the Daily Times.

On the other hand, also from the Times:

The Montgomery County AFL-CIO is partnering with United Food and Commercial Workers, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and other unions for a Sestak fund-raiser later this month.

The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO had previously backed Weldon every election since 1988 but is now in Sestak's camp, a major loss for Weldon. But the heart of the matter in this local labor renegade action is that Delaware County is one of few areas where (some) labor unions support the GOP, even though the Republican agenda is so anti-labor. This is because the Delaware County Council, made up completely of (5) Republicans, controls the distribution of contracts, thereby affecting local labor use. (Don't get me started on Delaware County Council, the only county in PA with no minority party representation after the GOP rewrote the charter!)

But my favorite part of this article is a Curt Weldon comment:

"They’re part of a Democrat agenda to take back control of the House," Weldon said of the state AFL-CIO.

Yes Curt, that's true...and there are a lot of others who are part of that agenda!