John Edwards for President-Edwards: Organized labor is the key

Edwards: Organized labor is the key

Jun 17, 2007 8:36 PM

Rob Daniel
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Jun 17, 2007

Attendees impressed with candidate's speech

CORALVILLE -- Labor unions will play a key part in expanding the American middle class, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said Saturday.

"If we want to strengthen and grow the middle class, ... the organized labor component is critical for that," said Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina.

The comments, part of a 15-minute address before about 75 state union leaders, came at the Iowa Change to Win conference on Saturday at Northwest Junior High. The conference was a meeting for a consortium of seven labor unions.

Edwards, who later spoke at a town hall meeting at the Johnson County Fairgrounds and appeared without wife, Elizabeth Edwards, said labor unions provided workers a voice in the workplace. He advocated for the banning of the hiring of permanent replacements for striking workers and said workers should be able to unionize without opposition from businesses.

"If anybody can join the Republican Party by signing a card, I think anybody should be able to join a labor union in the same way," he said to applause.

He also pushed for his universal health care plan, which he said would be paid for by revoking tax cuts President Bush pushed through in 2002. He said health care coverage was needed for workers to get the pay and benefits they seek in negotiations.

"When you go to the bargaining table, you won't have to talk about health care," Edwards said. "You can talk about pensions (with universal health care in place). It directly affects your ability to negotiate a good deal."

Edwards also pushed for the Democrat-controlled Congress to cut funding for the war in Iraq.

"(President Bush) doesn't believe he can make a mistake," he said. "He will never (end the war) unless he's made to do it. We need to force this president's hand to end the war in Iraq."

Those in attendance said they were impressed with Edwards' comments.

"I like what he says about health care," said Angel Gonzalez, a member of American Federation of Teachers Local 796, who was at the conference with the University of Iowa Labor Center. "He actually put out a program that to me sounds like it will work and how to pay for it. He's obviously a very attractive candidate for unions."

Jane Conrad of Coralville came to the speech with her 19-year-old daughter, Annie McAleer.

"I like his approach to standing up for working people," Conrad said. "It sounds like he's willing to reform the health care system and take care of people who've worked all their lives."