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"CAFTA 15" Democrats may survive labor's wrath
Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:07 PM ET


By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One year after labor groups vowed to punish 15 Democrats who joined Republicans in the U.S. Congress to approve a Central American free trade pact, most have easily won their party's nomination to run again.

Democrats still angry about the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement now must decide whether to vote against the "CAFTA 15" in the November general election and possibly thwart their party's best chance in years of recapturing the House of Representatives.

The AFL-CIO labor federation mounted an all-out effort last year to stop CAFTA, which House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, called a job killer in an impassioned speech shortly before the 217-215 House vote.

Many union members and other activists were incensed when the 15 Democrats crossed party lines to vote with 202 Republicans to approve the pact.

"If we ever want to make politicians take us seriously when it comes to important laws touching the lives of workers, we must punish the 15 so-called Democrats who voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) -- and punish them hard," labor rights activist Jonathan Tasini wrote on his Working Life blog just after the vote.

SITTING IT OUT

But 11 of the CAFTA 15 have already won their party's nomination to face a Republican party candidate in the November congressional elections. In most of those party primary races, the CAFTA 15 candidates ran unopposed.

Two of the remaining primary races are in New York, where Rep. Gregory Meeks is running unopposed and 24-year House veteran Rep. Edolphus Towns faces two opponents on September 12.

The New York AFL-CIO voted this week not to endorse Meeks and Towns because of their CAFTA vote.

"It basically means we're sitting out the race," said Mario Cilento, communications director for the New York AFL-CIO. "Delegates to the convention felt strongly that a message had to be sent and not take labor support for granted."

The Illinois AFL-CIO has voted not to endorse Rep. Melissa Bean, a first-term congresswoman accused of betraying union members who helped her defeat veteran Republican lawmaker Phil Crane in 2004.

Bean has already won her party's nomination but faces a tough general election.

Illinois AFL-CIO members struggled with whether it was better to swallow their disappointment and endorse Bean in the hope of helping the Democratic party recapture the House after more than a decade of Republican control.

"That was the $100 million question, but they decided to take a stand," said Beth Spencer, a spokeswoman for the Illinois AFL-CIO.

Bill Morley, a lobbyist with MWW Group, said CAFTA Democrats are being rewarded by the business community for their vote, while labor unions risk marginalizing their influence by taking a hard line on trade pacts.

"Melissa Bean's better off having supported CAFTA than not. Look who is really stepping up for Melissa Bean right now in the general election. It's the business community," he said.